deluxvivens:

shadowed-aluasasit:

apihtawikosisan:

quirkycarousel:

Native American Teepees ~

That is like saying “European lederhosen”.  It’s entirely too vague, and suggests that “Native Americans” are a homogeneous group rather than many different cultures and nations.

For your edification, the Plains Cree call this structure a macêkin (MU-tsae-gin) or a mîkiwahp (MEE-gi-wuhp).  There are a specific number of poles used by the Plains Cree which correspond to specific teachings.

The Siksika (Blackfoot) are famous for the ways in which they paint their lodges (what you call a tipi) with very specific designs.  Traditional Siksika lodges look strikingly different from traditional Plains Cree macêkina.

thípi is a Lakota word, and while ‘tipi’ works fine as a descriptor in English, we don’t all like to use another nation’s word.

The point being…only a small number of indigenous nations use this structure, and unfortunately many non-natives never learn about the variety of non-tipis that other Native Americans have traditionally constructed.

FOR INSTANCE! A Mi’kmaq wikuom (wigwam)!

Covered in BIRCHBARK, not skins! And poles on the outside! And put up by women! *high five, women!* 

I’m not Miwok, but here is a picture of redwood kotchas, a traditional housing structure of the coastal california Miwok people:

this picture is from the reconstruction at Kule Loklo.

Here guys, learn some things about stuff.

The kotchas are really neat looking.