Tipi is a Dakota word, "ti" meaning "to dwell" and "pi" meaning "used for". The Tipi is an architectural marvel, and a monument to the ingenuity and strength of the women who built them. As a portable dwelling, it is unsurpassed. It is a perfect blend of form and function, strong and rugged, yet graceful and beautiful. Tipis are warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The way of life for the Plains Indian was shaped by the constant migration of the buffalo. The Tipi enabled them to move with the buffalo and create home anywhere on the plains. Every aspect of creating home and shelter was the responsibility of the women in the tribes, and the Tipi was their domain. They prepared the buffalo hides, constructed, disassembled and transported each Tipi. The poles for the Tipi were chosen for strength to withstand the weight of the hides that were stretched tightly across them. Each pole had to be straight and between 19 to 25 feet in length. Peeling the bark for the poles and seasoning the wood took more than three weeks. The buffalo hides required great skill to prepare and each Tipi generally required 12 to 14 hides. The curing and tanning of the hides was laborious. Each hide had to be scraped to achieve the correct thickness, and then cured with a mixture, which contained buffalo brains. The women worked together rubbing and stretching the skins until they were soft and subtle. The hides were cut and sewn together with a strong thread made from the sinew fibers of the buffalo tendons. The hides were then stretched across the poles. With the smoke hole closed, a fire was built inside of the Tipi. This "smoking" process made the hides waterproof and gave the Tipi its distinctive transparent cream color. The women transported the Tipi on a V shaped sled, called a travois, pulled by pack animals. This arduous task was repeated by the Indian women, generation after generation. As with all of the tasks that the women performed, it was a life sustaining necessity for the community. The Tipi was symbolic of the incredible strength and unwavering devotion of the Indian women, to create home and shelter for their families. To the Indians of the Great Plains, however, the Tipi was much more than a means of shelter. It was a powerful spiritual symbol as well; embodying all that is sacred about their unique way of life. The circular structure of the Tipi was symbolic of their spiritual understanding of the Universe; that all things are connected in the grand circle of life. Each pole, used in the construction, symbolized the sacred values that were central to their spiritual beliefs. This circle underwent tremendous change and disruption. White settlers slaughtered the buffalo to near extinction for economic gain. The United States government seized land and imposed the forced settlement of reservations. Further decimation by disease, war, racism, exploitation of resources, all but caused a total destruction of the fabric of the Indian culture and way of life. With the end of this unique way of life the elegant Tipi and all that it represented disappeared. The spirit and strength of the women who built the Tipi has never disappeared. It may be a small still voice but it is strong and enduring. With the return of the Tipi comes the return to empowerment of the Indian Woman. Within each and every woman is the wisdom and knowledge for the healing of the self, the community and the Universe.