Tepees are tent-like American Indian homes used by tribes from the Great Plains. A tepee is made of a con-shaped wooden frame with a covering of buffalo hide. Tepees are carefully designed to set up and break down quickly. As a tribe moved from one place to another, each family would bring the tipi poles and the hide tent with them. Tepees provide good houses for people who are always on the move.
Another type of shelter used by the ancient Americans is the sod house. A sod is a section cut or torn from the surface of grassland containing the matted roots of grass. Sod is heavy and hard to cut. It is an ideal building material: warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It is fire proof. A number of sod houses still stand today and continue to provide shelter for some families.
During the writer’s visit to the Dallas Arboretum, she witnessed two classes holding lessons in alternate sessions in the exhibit ground for this types of home of ancient Texans to enlighten the students on the early living style of some American pioneers.
