Tipi: More Than Just a Tent – a Piece of History and Culture

Tipis are meant to be in absolute harmony with nature, protect people from the weather and are reduced to the absolute minimum in form and material. By concentrating on the most elementary components, they convey something very original. Tipis are cone-shaped tents traditionally used by the indigenous peoples of North America. They were intended to support the nomadic lifestyle of the tribes, they were mobile and portable and were therefore ideal for following large herds of animals on the hunt. Whenever needed, tipis could be assembled or disassembled real quick and with this, made for a life on the move. Moreover, they were also the perfect size to be transported by horses.

Tipi constructions usually consist of long wooden poles and a covering. The wooden poles are arranged in a conical shape and are tied together at the upper end. At the lower end, they are placed in a wider circle to define the shape and floor area of the tipi. The covering was typically animal skins that were sewn together in a semicircle. Modern tipis are covered with canvas, which is usually made of cotton. In order to achieve proper air ventilation, the covering must be fixed at some distance from the floor. In combination with the ventilation opening at the top of the tipi, a chimney effect is created and allows air to circulate, which is of great importance when heating and cooking with fire in the tent. To give the tipis a unique and profound appearance, tribes often painted them with individual motifs that had personal, cultural or spiritual backgrounds.

SL Rasch constructed a tipi for friends of the founding family for their property in Bloomington, Indiana, USA. The family built it up and painted it themselves. What the tipi means to them and the significance of the painting are explained below:

For us, the tipi is a place of peace and regeneration, it stands for contemplation and connects us deeply with nature. In a very hectic world, it offers a place of retreat for relaxation. We can also identify very well with the various symbolisms. The circular shape of the tipi symbolises the wholeness of life. The smoke hole at the top connects the inside of the tent with the universe. The very original idea and the focus on the essentials are at the forefront, which we greatly appreciate.

A challenge for the installation of the tipi was the very humid and wet climate that we have here in Bloomington. The regular canvas tipis do not hold up well under these conditions. They usually disintegrate due to mold and high sun within a year. With the specially developed membrane made of PVC-coated Polyester fabric by SL Rasch, we assume that our tipi will be able to last us up to 10 years. While the material is weather resistant and durable, it is at the same time as beautiful and natural looking as canvas or the originally used leather hides. Aside from that, the climate in the space inside is pleasant enough that we will be able sleep inside it, and durable enough that we can build a cooking fire.

This tipi means a lot to us and will play an important role in our lives. We wanted to personalise it and therefore decided to paint the membrane according to our interests and philosophy of life. The design ideas are from the Plains Indians, namely the Lakota. The centre of the design is in the back of the tent and shows the feathered sun, which is a very sacred and commonly used symbol. It symbolises the universe, center, the origin, from which all life originates.

On the southside, there is a depiction of the thunderbird, which is used to designate the great spirit in the form of an impressive bird and the lightning coming from it shows that power of nature. On the northside, there is the symbol of the buffalo, which is also a very important animal for all Plains Indians, representing the earth and all life. It was an essential animal for the Indians, given that many of their lively possessions and food were provided from the buffalo.

Lastly, there are two peace pipes and several horses shown. The peace pipe, the calumet, was given to the Lakota by a sacred woman many centuries ago. It was given to them to pray with to the Great Spirit and as a support for their lives, so that they may follow the road which leads back to the origin. Spirituality is deeply rooted in the traditional Lakota way of life.

The horses show an incredibly important part of the Plains Indians lives, on which the whole well-being of them depended. Their nomadic wandering, hunting and battles were greatly eased by having horses. Often times, the wealth of families or tribes was determined by how many horses they owned.

Unlike this approach of using common culturally influenced motifs, in the olden days the tipis would have been painted with symbols that were personal to the family. A great warrior might have had different battle scenes depicted on his tipi or memorable events in the life of each. For us, we have chosen different symbols and images that are very typical. These symbols just felt right for us.”