How To Make A Tipi

How To Make A Tipi


Today I will be teaching you how to make a toy tipi so you can have a tipi of your own just like the Nez Perce Indians did (even though yours will be much smaller and not as realistic).

The supplies you will need:

• Paint, markers, or crayons
• Glue or tape
• Scissors
• Plate or bowl
• Construction paper


Step 1. You get a bowl or plate and piece of paper.

Step 2. Use your bowl or plate’s rim to trace a large circle on your piece of paper.

Step 3. Cut the circle out. Then draw a line trough the middle of it.

Step 4. When you are done drawing your line through the middle of the circle, you should have two halves of your circle. On one of the halves of your circle draw decorations.

Suggestion: When you decorate the half of your circle that you decided to decorate, you may want to draw or paint animal symbols since Nez Perce Indian tepees usually had animals on them. Traditionally, the Nez Perce Indians had triangles on their tepees. You could also try putting geometric shapes, feathers, or suns and moons on your tepees too.


Step 5. Roll your circle up in a cone shape. Then tape or glue the edges together.


Step 6. Cut a slit in the front of your cone and fold back a flap on each side of the slit to make a door.


If you want you can make Indian figures out of clay or paper or something else.

Then you are done making your tipi.

If you are wondering what kinds of furniture the Indians used, the Nez Perce Indian’s furniture was very different from what we have today. For furniture the Nez Perce Indians would use very lightweight things. They would make their tables and chairs out of bent wood or sticks, laced up with rawhide or covered with pelts or hides of animals. Some chairs and tables were decorated beautifully. Their beds usually were made out of soft tree boughs that were piled up soft and thick and were covered with buffalo hides.

If you wanted you could make a whole entire spring camp full of tepees and Indians.

I hope you have enjoyed learned how to make a toy tipi. I also hope that you liked the rest of my website. If you haven’t looked at it yet I think you should, and that you will like it a lot. Thanks!