What do teepees look like?

Teepees are conical shaped tents made from animal hides and held up by long poles. Most historic teepees are plain and match the color of the animal hide used in the construction, but some historic and modern teepees are fully painted with some type of pattern or symbols.

The circular shape is created by digging the poles into the ground in a circle and then tying them together at the top. Animal hides, typically from a buffalo, are wrapped around the sticks.

Teepees were structures built and used by Native Americans from the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies of North America. Native American teepees are distinguished from other conical shaped tents by the smoke flaps at the top of the teepee. The smoke flaps allowed Native Americans to make a fire inside the teepee.