A Teepee is a Native American mobile tent.

Due to its stability, teepee can withstand heavy winds and can also support fire inside it due to its self-ventilating feature.

Contrary to popular belief, making a teepee is not very hard. We can make a teepee in 9 easy steps.

Required Materials

• Poles [ 12 ]

• Pegs [ 12 ]

• Canvas

• Clothes Line

• String

Steps in making a Teepee

1. Cut the canvas in a semi circular shape and ensure that its length is twice its width. The recommended size for the teepee is 15 by 30 feet. A smaller teepee is easier to build and maintain, but a bigger teepee is easier to keep smoke-free and more people can fit inside.

2. Cut two flaps in the middle of the canvas in order to act as smoke exits and cut two semi circular portions off in the two ends of the canvas. These semi-circular portions will together make a circular opening when the two ends of the canvas are brought together.

3. Hem a pocket into the teepee and insert a heavy stick that will keep the door closed.

4. Make small packets of canvas and sew them to the top of the teepee canvas. Utilize additional canvas in areas in the teepee that are week or might experience tension and stress.

5. Tie and border a rope around the circular part of canvas and space loops around it to stabilize the teepee. Attach an additional rope to the top in order to ensure that the canvas doesn’t slide off when the teepee is erected.

6. Pick up twelve strong and smooth poles and ensure that they are at least 4 feet longer than the width of the teepee.

7. Use three of these poles to form the basic structure of the teepee. Tie these poles together a little on top of the canvas wrapping. Now, place these other poles in a cone shape around these three poles.

8. Put the teepee canvas cover over the cone shaped poles and utilize wooden hooks to stabilize it. Now, place some stones at the bottom of the cover in order to ensure that the teepee can withstand pressure and winds. Alternatively, you can cover the bottom of the canvas wrapping with mud / dirt to stabilize the teepee.

9. Extend the poles further in order to make the teepee larger, and place two hollow poles in the smoke pouches to allow free flow of smoke.

Further reading: How to make teepee