The Plains Indian Tipi

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Indian tipis varied from slightly less than 10 feet in diameter, for hunting expeditions, to permanent lodges with a diameter of more than 30 feet. The larger structures naturally required more and longer poles than the smaller ones. We've compromised on a tent diameter of approximately 18'6" (roomy but easily transported by car) and - for this size - you'll need 17 poles about 25 feet long.

The fifteen poles used in the frame should be three or four inches thick at the butt and two inches through where they cross and tie. The two smoke flap poles need be no thicker than two inches at the butt. The best poles always come from a young, crowded stand where each tree has grown tall and slim reaching for the sun.

Red and white cedar make exceptionally light, strong supports which were prized by some tribes. Lodge-pale pine (guess how it got its name) and western yellow pine are both heavier but still make good tipi supports. If none of these are available; use the best timber you can find for the job or buy some fast quality 2X4's, rip them lengthwise on a taper and round the corners with a draw knife or joiner.

If you do find some suitable timber, cut the trees early in the spring (remember, when selecting, to allow for removal of bark and shrinkage) and trim off all knots and branches "up the tree" with an axe or chainsaw.

Lay each pole across two sawhorses (small blocks nailed to the horses 4" apart will keep the poles from tuning) and - starting at the butt - straddle the pole and peel it with a sharp draw knife. Season the peeled poles by laying them flat across pieces of scrap lumber spaced two feet apart on a patch of open ground. L et the pores air and sun cure for three to four weeks. Turn them regularly so they'll season out straight and true.
The Laubins recommend a good application of pentachloraphenol, log oil or floor hardener to preserve and protect the finished poles. If you're on the non-chemical trip, you may prefer to let the wood age naturally . . . or compromise on a couple coats of linseed oil rubbed in.

THE COVER

A properly tanned hide tipi cover was a beautiful creamy white and you're going to want a white, pearl grey, yellow or other bright canvas for your cover. The colored canvas - blue, green, brown and olive drab - so dear to the hearts of most tent makers is not at all traditional and will make your finished tipi dark and dreary inside. The coated "modem" fabrics also shut out too much light and the Laubins have found that muslin exposed directly to the sun has a short life. So a light colored, light weight canvas it is.

If you can obtain an 8 or 10 oz. duck canvas in 72" width, you'll save some work and your tipi will have fewer seams. It's hard to find canvas that wide, however, so we're basing our design on a fabric of 36" width.

"I seen a bunch of squaws make [a tipi] oncet. First they sewed the skins together. No, first thar was a lot o' prayin'; ye kin suit yerselves; 'bout that - then they sewed the skins together an' pegged it down flat on the prairie." Caleb Clark "[The squaws] put in a peg at the middle of one side. Then with a burnt stick an' a coord - yes, there must 'a' been a coord - they drawed a half circle - so." Caleb Clark ". . . and there is rows o' holes down - on each side fur the lacin' pins." C aleb Clark

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