Historic Architecture of the Great Plains
People evolve with the changes in the architecture of the region. Different people inhabited the Great Plains hence the architectural realization was diverse. As a result, there was material availability mainly due to climatic conditions and the culture of the people. In the construction of buildings in the Great Plains, grass played a significant role in thatching and other functions as required in development. Also, the type of soils in the Great Plains played a role in the construction as clays were used as walls. The fauna in the Great Plains also provided the materials for construction. The tipis are one of the most relevant historical architectural artefacts of the Great Plains.
Indians were the early dwellers of the Great Plains. The Indians were nomadic, which made it a requirement for some of their structures to be temporary. The most used structure in the Great Plains was the tipi which was always built by two women. Men were not allowed to construct the tipi. The tipi was reliable as it was made to be sturdy, resilient and it was light in a manner that it was carried around. The main occupation of the Great Plains people was hunting and the tipi was easy to put up and take down if the people found the animal that they were hunting. Originally the tipi was smaller in size to accommodate only the people, but with the coming of the horses, the tipi became more prominent with time. The tipi allowed for agility as the people needed to move quickly when the herds of buffaloes were on the move. Notably, there were few trees in the Great Plains, so the Indians valued the poles as they were not easy to find.
The tipi was made of long poles and buffalo skin. The shape of the tipi is a sizeable cone-shaped tent that is built by sticking the poles in a circular shape in the ground and connecting them at the top. The poles were tied using the traditional ropes as the top. Some poles were longer and they would be attached at the top corners where they were covered by buffalo skin (Freudenheim). In the buffalo skin a cut would be made which would symbolize for a door which would always face east. The tipi would be decorated using paintings and Indian symbols. The buffalo skin was sown together by use of sinew and not a thread (Wishart). Inside the tent there were adjustable smoke flaps that allowed for cooking and making fires through smoke expulsion. During winter, the Indians collected grass in the plains and lined the floor for insulation. The tipis were stored in bags known as wigwams which prevented the buffalo hide from rotting. The wigwams were also used for storing the Indians food.
The Native Americans lived on the tipi the time when they were hunting as they were always on the move. The primary reason for staying at the tipi is because they can be set up and broken down easily and the broken parts can be carried around during the hunt (Kingsley). It is clear that the tipi was the property of the women as it was made and erected by them. Similarly, one tipi housed up to six people with one side inhabited by men and the other side inhabited by women. Inside a tipi, the men’s side had all the weapons as the men were warriors and hunters and the women’s side had cookware as women were supposed to take care of the hunters. In the native culture the tipi served the same purpose as the modern houses. A tipi could be used as a shrine as a Native American family would gather inside the tipi and praise and worship their gods. It provided shelter and it was a place that a family would prepare their food.
The native Americans also used is referred to as an earth lodge. An earth lodge was more permanent as it was used during winter when the people did not travel and during winter. An earth lodge played a role of acting as a bunker during tribal wars (Johnson). The earth logs was better when it came to protecting against cold compared to the tipi. Also the door opening of the earth lodge was more protective than that of the open hole of a tipi. The structures of the Native Americans were diverse as they varied.
Tipis were the ideal dwellings of the nomadic Indians of the Great Plains. Use of the tipis was a great factor that encouraged increased use of the open plains. The tipis were cone shaped and made up of long poles stuck to the ground in a circular manner and tied together at the top and buffalo skin was used to cover them. When the weather was cold they could use things such as grass to insulate the floor. The earth lodge was a construction that was similar to the tipi although it was more permanent. Today the tipis are a good source of cultural identity of the people dwelling in the Great Plains.
Figure 1: A Native American Tipi
Works Cited
Freudenheim, Tom L. “The Art Behind the Narrative.” WSJ, 2013, www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704893604576200553437038980.
Johnson, Ken. “Plains Indian Culture, As Seen Through the Ingenuity of the Tepee.” The New York Times – Breaking News, World News & Multimedia, 2016, www.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/arts/design/tipi-heritage-of-the-great-plains-review.html.
Kingsley, Patrick. “Take 18 Bison Hides … How to Make a Tipi.” The Guardian, 2017, www.theguardian.com/travel/2010/jul/09/native-american-tipi.
Wishart, David J. “Encyclopedia of the Great Plains | TIPIS.” Plains Humanities Alliance | Center for Great Plains Studies | Nebraska, 2019, plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.arc.048.