Poles Up

First the tripod goes up. Door pole faces East, and the others are the North and South poles.

This was my first attempt at putting up a tipi. It took three women about four hours (none of us we experienced at it). Followed lots of directions and advice from those who are experienced. It worked, and knowing there was a learning curve and to take our time and go easy with ourselves helped.

The poles get layed in very specifically, and help to hold each other in. Finally, the rope gets 'flicked up' as you circle the tipi four times. This is critical and ceremonial, both.

Small snag: I had made ribbons with feathers to fly from the tops of the poles. This looks nice, but also helps show the wind direction (so you know how to adjust the smoke flaps) and keeps birds away. So we had to take down some poles and start over. Live and learn.