Metateps

Traditional Native American Dwellings

A number of modernized versions of traditional Native American dwellings are commonly used, and some can be easily and inexpensively constructed.

The tepee is probably the best-known Native American dwelling. To erect a tepee, a cone-shaped frame of long wooden poles is set up. Three or four main poles are staked in the ground first, and fastened together near the top; then, other poles are added to form a roughly circular base. A waterproof cover, traditionally made from animal hides but now more often made from canvas, nylon, or even plastic, is pulled over the frame. A hole at the top permits smoke to escape from a central fire or stove. This opening is adjustable with outer flaps on the cover and can be closed in wet weather. Stones or stakes hold the bottom edges of the tepee cover in place, but in the heat of summer, the cover can be rolled up for ventilation. An inner lining of insulation is often added for cold climates. A 25-foot (in diameter) tepee kit can be as inexpensive as $1,500. One wonders why a commercial tepee costs so much less than a yurt when the two are so similar.

The hogan, the traditional Navajo (Dine) home, is a round or polygonal (six-sided or eight-sided) domed house made of logs or poles and plastered with mud or earth. The entrance traditionally faces east to greet the rising sun. It has one large room, up to 25 feet in diameter, designed for a single family. The Navajo tended to live in isolated groups of several related families, each of which had its own hogan. Hogans are still in use around the Four Corners of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona.

The Pueblo Indians lived in distinctive, apartmentlike building complexes made of stone or adobe bricks (sun-baked clay and straw) and supported by wooden beams. Some of these dwellings, centuries old, are still in use today. The Southwest is peppered with the ruins of Anasazi and Fremont cultures, who used this type of construction effectively, with passive solar benefits, on the sides of cliffs and beneath rock overhangs to achieve comfortable communities in a harsh land.