Details
- Term
tipis
- Broader Term
Western iconography
- Alternate Term
tepee
tipi
tepees
- Remarks
North American Plains Indians lived in tents made of animal hides known as tipis. These portable houses were used as Indians followed the seasonal migrations of the buffalo. The form of tipis varied from one tribe to another, and changed over time. For example, before the arrival of domesticated horses, the Sioux lived in low tents that housed several families. After they adopted horses, tipis became taller and larger, and housed only one married family and their children. It is this tall, single-family tipi that came to symbolize Indian culture to many Americans.
Related Items