Shelter
Native American method of securing or staking shelter covers.
Half-shelter
Lean-to
Another type of protection from the elements important to frontier survival was shelter. Trappers and traders used a variety of shelters. The choice depended upon the season of the year, circumstances and lifestyle of the user.
Types of shelter
Shelters were made of either hides or canvas. Construction ranged from simple to elaborate. The most sophisticated design, the tepee, was borrowed from the Plains tribes.
The simplest shelters were half-shelters and lean-tos. They were easily and quickly constructed, portable and reasonably protective. The shelters, which were pitched to block a prevailing wind, kept users out of the rain and snow. An open front allowed heat from an outside fire to radiate into the enclosure.
Half-Shelter
The half-shelter was made with a semi-circle of hide or canvas stretched over a willow frame. Thumb-sized willows, trimmed of branches, were stuck in the ground in a shallow ellipse (about 7 feet or 2.1 meters along the open side by 3 to 4 feet or 1 to 1.5 meters at the deepest point). The free ends of the willows were bent together and lashed, creating a half-dome. A cover was then stretched over the frame and fastened.
Lean-To
Lean-tos were constructed from a simple frame such as the one illustrated here. The cover was fastened over the frame. The Baker tent, a more elaborate version of the lean-to often seen at modern-day historical events, was not used on the early frontier. It appeared at a later time.
Coverings were fastened to the wooden frame in a manner borrowed from the native Americans. A pebble or rifle ball was twisted into the cover near the edge. A length of rawhide or cord lashed around the twisted fabric held the object in place and kept the lashing from pulling loose. The free ends of the cord were used to tie the cover to the frame. The cord ends also could be knotted together to make a loop for a stake.
When time was short and materials were limited, other shelters were also constructed. These often used an A-frame, tripod or no frame at all. Frameless shelters were constructed by suspending the cover from a tree limb and staking the shelter edges.
Wall Tent
Frameless shelter
Wall tent
An "air conditioned tepee
A more permanent shelter, often used by trapping and trading parties, was the wall tent. The tent offered more protection from the elements but was less handy because of its more elaborate frame. Also, its narrow entrance and floor flaps prevented an outside fire from warming the shelter. Fires were not possible inside the shelter because of poor ventilation and close quarters.
The Tepee
The most elaborate shelter was the tepee. This was used by trappers and traders living among native Americans or those who had married native American women. (In many native societies, the tepee or lodge belonged to the woman.) Although it was portable, the bulk of the tepee (poles and cover weighed several hundred pounds) made it an impractical shelter for parties traveling light and changing location frequently.
The tepee, at first glance, seems to be a simple shelter; yet, its design is actually highly sophisticated. Over the centuries, it evolved among nomadic tribes whose sustenance depended on their ability to follow the roving herds of buffalo. The tepee was extremely stable in high winds, offered better ventilation than most tents and stayed reasonably warm in winter and cool in summer. In addition, it was one of only two primitive portable shelters that were safe to build a fire inside. Some have described the tepee as a great chimney- a well-pitched tepee was never smoky inside, thanks to its design.
The tepee's frame consisted of 3, or sometimes 4, poles lashed together near one end, stood upright and spread to form a tripod. Upon the tri-pod were placed 10 to 16 poles that served to stretch the cover. These support poles were placed around the tripod in a specific sequence. To get the chimney effect, poles were arranged so their bases created an oval, with the wider portion toward the back of the tepee.
Tepee floor plan
Tepee door indicating "do not enter"
Tepee liner
The cover of hide or canvas was stretched over the pole frame so that the back of the tepee faced the pre-vailing wind. The door was on the opposite side. Above the door was a large slit-like opening flanked by two flaps. This was the smoke hole. Draft for the interior fire was regulat-ed by the position of these smoke flaps. The flaps were controlled by two cords attached to their base and staked in front of the tepee and by two long poles whose upper ends were attached to the smoke flap tops while the bottom of the poles rested on the ground behind the tepee.
Inside the tepee a liner of hide or canvas was suspended from a cord running around each pole at a height of about 5 feet (1.5 meters). The liner and cover were both staked to the ground near the poles to create airspace between liner and poles. This helped insulate the tepee and also created a chimney effect with hot air rising from the fire carrying cooler air up along the sides of the tepee. The draft prevented smoke from building up inside.
The tepee has enjoyed something of a resurrection among those people interested in getting back to nature and frontier history buffs. (Native Americans have never stopped using them completely.) A modern-day rendezvous usually has many tepees.
To the native American, the pitching, orientation and interior floor plan of the tepee reflected mystical as well as practical beliefs. Elaborate practices evolved around the use of tepees and tepee etiquette is still practiced by many who use the shelter.
To follow proper tepee etiquette, you should not enter without first asking permission. A greeting, such as "Hello the lodge," can be used. Crossed sticks over the door indicate that the owner is away or does not wish to be bothered. In this case, an outsider should not enter the lodge. The position opposite the door of the tepee is occupied by the owners. When entering, the person seated at that position will direct the new arrival toward a seat. Never pass between the fire and seated individuals. Walk behind them or, if this is not possible, ask permission to pass in front. Never pass between the lodge owner and the fire. This area was sacred to its native American owners and was the site of their family altar and religious effects. More information about tepee design, construction and history is listed in Project 14.
