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Shelter for the Northern Shoshone was provided
by the use of tepees, greenhouses, and sometimes caves. The tepee
cover typically was made from ten to twelve buffalo hides. The cover
was stretched over from twenty to twenty-five poles erected in a
cone shape. There was a smoke hole left at the top which had flaps
designed to regulate the hole according to wind direction. The tepees
were well ventilated and cool in the summer and, with a fire, were
warm in the winter. On the floor of the tepees were backrests and
bedrolls. Clothing, medicine bags, shields, bags and other articles
hung from poles. Tepees were decorated with drawings of animals,
birds, or abstract designs. Great dreams or acts of bravery could
be recalled in drawings on the tepee. Since the people were nomadic,
the tepee was a very practical dwelling because it was easy to transport.
In the summer, dwellings were often made from green leafy branches
placed over a pole framework. Willows, quaking aspen branches, reeds
and tall grass were used in making summer shelters. These dwellings
were also temporary, and could be left behind as moves were made
to other areas. Caves were used as shelters and temporary dwellings.
Bathhouses or sweat lodges were erected to be used as places for
spiritual experiences as well as for personal hygiene.
Rabbit skins braided like rugs were made into quilts. Buffalo robes
and other animal hides served as blankets and in some cases floor
coverings. Dried moss was also woven into blankets. Woven sagebrush
and juniper bark as well as boughs and cattail fluff served as mats
and mattresses. |
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