The Blackfoot TipiWorks of Art

Tipis were used a shelter year round by the Blackfoot people. They were made out of tanned bison hide and stretched over lodgepole tree poles. The two flaps at the top that move are called “smoke ears”. These are moved to help draw smoke out of the tipi and to keep rain out.

The cover of the tipi is held together at the front by small wooden sticks, called “buttons”, over the doorway.

The tipi is stacked down to the ground by larger wooden stakes. In some locations, large rocks would be used instead of stakes.

Most tipis were white or undecorated on the outside. According to Blackfoot tradition, you could only paint the outside of your tipi if you were given the design, either by another person or the spirit world.

Tipis are always put up so that their doorway faces east. This way, the morning sun shone on the door and the strong west wind was blocked by the back of the tipi.

The bottom of the tipi design represents the Earth. Triangle shapes such as these represent mountains.

The design of the bottom of these tipis represent hills.

The white circles represent underground spirits.

The smooth design at the bottom represents plains / prairies..

The design at the top of the tipi represents the sky spirits. The lines represent rainbows.

The “cross” represents the morning star (first star to come out at night, the last star to go in the morning.

The circle designs on the top of the tipi (on the smoke ears) represent star constellations.

The middle of the tipi represents animal spirits.

This is the bear design.

These are the bison design and otter design.

Deer Design

Bison Skull Design

Snake Design

Horse Design

This is what the otter design tipi looks like when it is set up. On the next slide you will see what the cover looks like when it is laying flat on the ground.

Go to this webpage for more information on the Blackfoot tipi. https://www.glenbow.org/exhibitions/online/blackfoot/main_eng.htmOrhttp://www.blackfootcrossing.ca/tipiabout.html

Go through the next few slides to look at different designs.

These are black and white photographs that have been tinted with colour.

Inside the Tipi