Tipi Hire

Tipi, Teepee or Wigwam all names for this distinctive tent. The grace and beauty of Tipis takes some beating for camping.

Tipi Dimensions

In the very beginning, when the Creator had made First Man and First Woman, he told his helper in the work of creation : ” Stay close to Man and Woman , and look after all their needs. ”

When the first winds of winter blew, Man and Woman shivered, huddling close to their cooking fire.

The creator’s Helper knew they would need a shelter. Tradition tells that it was the shape of the leaf of the rustling Cottonwood tree which gave him the idea.

How the tipi got its shape

The shelter is known by many names particularly “teepee or tipi, Dakota from ti to dwell, and pi used for.” The Lakota use tipi, but the older word is tipestola, “she or he lives in a sharp pointed lodge”.

Tipis are familiar to us from the hundreds of western films we see on television.

The Tipis’ simplicity belies its ability to create the perfect environment at any time of the year.

Tipis stir the imagination. Tipis can feel part of the landscape around them and link us to tribal society from the past.

Tipis are well ventilated and cool in the summer.

Over The Moon Tens can hire lighting and decor for an additional amount.

More information on the history of this type of tent.
Wikipedia Tipi Information

Specification

Our tipis for hire come in two sizes 5.5m/18ft and 4m/16ft diameter

5.5m will sleep 4-6 people or 8-10 standing. If you like you can squeeze more people in.

4m will sleep 2-4 people or 6-8 standing.

Tipis come in a fire resistant natural coloured canvas

We have one painted 4m tipi and one painted 5.5m. They have been painted in traditional style. See our gallery for pics.

Green carpet is provided in the hire price.

Over The Moon Tipis are erected in accordance with the practices of the Sioux tribe. Their tipis and way of life were documented by Reginald & Gladys Laubin in the bible of tipi knowledge, ‘The Indian Tipi – Its History, Construction and Use’.

The Indian Tipi - Its History, Construction and Use
The Indian Tipi

Tipis are different from most tents because, through the smoke flaps opening, they let sun beams, moonlight, and rain access inside the structure. In Sioux life the tipi was laid out as shown in the plan below.

	D – Door Pole S – South Tripod Pole N – North Tripod Pole L – Lifting Pole F – Front Crotch R – Rear Crotch A – Altar B – Bed F – Fire P – Anchor Peg W – Wood H – Host G- Guest

When sleeping the area around the tipi’s edge is used and the area of the altar kept clear. Over The Moon Tipis are set up to echo this lay out. A small recepticle for catching rain can be placed on the carpet / table where traditionally the altar was.

“Directly behind the fireplace was a little space of bare earth which served as a family altar. Often this space was prepared in the shape of a square…brushed clean. The Sioux called this altar a ’square of mellowed earth’. It represented Mother Earth, and on this square sweet grass, cedar or sage were burned as incence to the spirits.”

Life giving rainwater would have dripped from the crown of poles and fed the earth. We can follow this tradition by marking the spot with a small pot to keep the rain in and the carpet dry. The amount of rain that access’s the tipi is negligible. We ensure the hole is minimised and its aperture is not greater than 5cm diameter.

We can offer the use of rain catchers hung below the bound poles, though they detract from the aesthetics of the tipi from inside. We wrap the smoke flaps tightly around the poles to keep rain out. Much of the tipi’s visual impact is derived from the fan of poles radiating out when one is inside and gazes up to the sky. It is lovely to lie in your sleeping bag and gaze up at the patch of blue sky framed by the poles.

Tipis can have fires in them though the reality is that this makes the inside of the tipi very smokey and one’s clothes soon smell. We do not allow fires in our tipis as we like to keep the canvas clean and smelling like canvas rather than a smokey chimney.