are there tipis at Nancy Ward Cherokee Heritage Day?
Good question. You’re right. For the most part, the Eastern Cherokee people did not live in tipis. The Plains Indians moved constantly following herds of buffalo and other food sources. Their homes had to be able to move with them. They had to be able to take their home down, pack it up, and travel long distances with it. On the other hand, the Eastern Cherokee lived in permanent settlements (cities, towns, and surrounding “farms”). Their homes were cabin-like structures made of wood like the frames of the two buildings you will see just behind the amphitheatre at Sequoyah Birthplace Museum. These buildings were finished and walls made solid with “waddle,” a process of combining clay-heavy soil with water and other natural materials, then “plastering” it onto the walls. Many years ago, the Omaha and Kiowa people “gave” the tradition of “powwow” to other tribes and powwow began to spread across Indian Country. Most of the tribes that originally participated in powwows did live in tipis.
