Welcome to our newest addition to the blog - Historical Tidbit Thursdays!
I'm really excited to be able to share my research, my favorite reference books, shows or movies I've seen that inspire, as well as my passion for history with you in a quicker and more regular way. My focus will be on my current WIP (Work in Progress) - a western romance fiction novel. So I hope you enjoy!!
Tipi: A typical tipi had twenty-two poles of cedar or pine wood about 10-20 feet long. 3 or 4 poles acted as the main framework that were tied together near the top and set upright like a tripod upon which the other poles were attached. Each pole was sharpened at the bottom to stick into the hard ground. 10-17 tanned buffalo hides were sewn together and lifted up with a single pole from inside the framework. This covering was then tied to the poles and staked to the ground (or if the ground was too hard or frozen, large rocks were used to hold it down). To keep the rain and drafts from coming inside, a lining of buffalo skin (later called a "dew cloth") was tied internally to the poles. Completed, the tipi was 12-15 feet in diameter and height. A ditch was dug around the outside to help water flow away from the tipi. In warm water, the cover and/or lining might be raised to let more cool air inside. The tipi was actually tilted backwards to allow a smoke-hole to be opened with flaps to allow smoke to escape but not let rain or wind inside. Women set up the tipi and could do it in 15 minutes.
Source:
The Comanches: Lords of the South Plains by Ernest Wallace and E. Adamson Hoebel; ISBN#978-0806120409
Tipi picture credit: https://comanchenationentertainment.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Comanche-teepees-announce-the-birth-of-their-son.jpg
Diagram picture credit: https://www.coloradoyurt.com/cyc-content/uploads/2017/03/tipi-labeled-diagram-374x474.jpg
