h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I liked your article, but there is one pedantic query that I have.....

You mention that a tipi is the same as a wigwam in your footnotes, but I thought that the tipi or teepee was the triangular shaped tent of the Native Americans, and the wigwam was one of their more permanent structures (for some reason my memory brings forth a picture of a log hut/house....

That's technically correct. A wigwam is more of a domes structure built by woodlands native americans - tipis were more of a plains native american structure.

Yes, teepees are conical tents used by nomadic peoples of the Great Plains (Sioux, for example, if I am not mistaken). They (the tents, not the Sioux) are designed to be easily set up, broken down, and transported. A wigwam is a dome-shaped structure built by peoples in the American northeast, such as Iroquois and Algonquins (sp?). It consists of bent saplings, lashed over with large pieces of bark, and usuall lined inside with animal hides. It's really not very mobile, which makes sense as these people didn't move (as much) as the plains people do. However, a wigwam is again different from what I know only as a 'longhouse'. The longhouse uses the same basic construction, but it's (surprise) long, and was used by many families together.
Hey, I guess I did get something out of summer camp!

As a child, I called what I now know to be a tipi - a wigwam. It might not have not been technically correct. They still sell children's play tents as 'wigwams', so I guess thateven though it might not be technically correct (and I confess I didn't know), it may still help people to know what a tipi is, if they didn't know. Thanks for the comments.