Presents a history of tipis, describing the different ways in which they were constructed, the many symbolic designs used to decorate them, and the practical and spiritual significance they had in the lives of Native Americans.

The plains region was home to many native nations. For hundreds of years, these peoples followed the giant, wandering herds of buffalo upon which they were dependent. Clear, informative text and beautiful illustrations help describe the cultures and the ways of life of the different native nations who called the plains their home.

This fascinating book looks at many of the dwellings built by the native nations across the continent. Beautiful, detailed illustrations show the exteriors, interiors, and way of life in each lodge. Discover thatch homes and pueblos of the Southwest; plankhouses of the Northwest Coast; wigwams, longhouses, tipis; earth lodges, pit homes, hogans, and iglus.

Would you want to live in a factory-molded cube made of plastic, asbestos, and UFFI? With an "H-bomb shelter" and the nuclear furnace underneath? Or a house designed by God to harmonize with the cosmic Muzak? The Canadian Home explains how our housing came to be including the pagan origins of "colonial" homes, why "Tudor" is not Tudor, and where so many predictions went wrong. But the book is not just about tastes and floor plans; it also celebrates technological innovation, from prehistoric Inuit windows (of stretched seal guts) to the R-2000 house and habitation in space. For the first time, records of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association have been opened to reveal the power plays of bureaucrats, developers, architects, and financiers and how they affect the quality, affordability, and choice of our housing today. Fiery debates over the sublime and the ridiculous (e.g. 1940s architectural articles on whether Toronto should be bombed) are set against the backdrop of Canadian politics and industrial history. Whether the reader’s interest is in construction, politics, or home decor, this book explains why the roof over our heads is the way it is." Pierre Berton "In his fascinating study of Canadian shelter, Marc Denhez takes us on a 20,000-year journey from the days of the cave, the tipi, and the igloo, to the H-bomb shelter and the mobile home. This is, in short, a lively as well as an erudite study of the development of housing . [It] deserves a permanent position on any library shelf." "If you live in a house or own one or build one if you have a roof over your head read this book. A housing book with punch and humour immensely enjoyable." -Charles Lynch author, journalist and former governor of Heritage Canada.

A crash course in designing and constructing buildings Too often, textbooks turn the noteworthy details of architecture into tedious discourse that would put even Frank Gehry to sleep. Architecture 101 cuts out the boring explanations, and instead provides a hands-on lesson that keeps you engaged as you explore the world's greatest structures. Featuring only the most important facts, building styles, and architects, you'll enjoy uncovering the remarkable world of architecture with this book. Inside, you'll also find fascinating elements like: Illustrations of popular building styles, such as Georgian and Greek Revival Drawings of the essential parts of different buildings Unique profiles of the most inspirational figures in architecture From Norman Foster and Frank Lloyd Wright to the Beauvais Cathedral and the Empire State Building, Architecture 101 is packed with hundreds of entertaining architecture tidbits that you can't get anywhere else!

Since publication of the groundbreaking Encyclopedia of Housing in 1998, many issues have assumed special prominence within this field and, indeed, within the global economy. For instance, the global economic meltdown was spurred in large part by the worst subprime mortgage crisis we′ve seen in our history. On a more positive note, the sustainability movement and "green" development has picked up considerable steam and, given the priorities and initiatives of the current U.S. administration, this will only grow in importance, and increased attention has been given in recent years to the topic of indoor air quality. Within the past decade, as well, the Baby Boom Generation began its march into retirement and senior citizenship, which will have increasingly broad implications for retirement communities and housing, assisted living facilities, aging in place, livable communities, universal design, and the like. Finally, within the last twelve years an emerging generation of young scholars has been making significant contributions to the field. For all these reasons and more, we are pleased to present a significantly updated and expanded Second Edition of the Encyclopedia of Housing.

Tipis, Tepees, Teepees is the history and evolution of the tipi, with instructions on how to make your own.

We humans pride ourselves on our capacity to have ideas, but perhaps this pride is misplaced. Perhaps ideas have us. After all, ideas do appear to have a life of their own. Many biologists have already come to the opinion that our genes are selfish entities, tricking us into helping them to reproduce. Is it the same with our ideas? Jonnie Hughes, a science writer and documentary filmmaker, investigates the evolution of ideas in order to find out. Adopting the role of a cultural Charles Darwin, Hughes heads off, with his brother in tow, across the Midwest to observe firsthand the natural history of ideas--the patterns of their variation, inheritance, and selection in the cultural landscape. In place of Darwin's oceanic islands, Hughes visits the "mind islands" of Native American tribes. Instead of finches, Hughes searches for signs of natural selection among the tepees.--From publisher description.

In this volume, Douglas B. Bamforth offers an archaeological overview of the Great Plains, the vast, open grassland bordered by forests and mountain ranges situated in the heart of North America. Synthesizing a century of scholarship and new archaeological evidence, he focuses on changes in resource use, continental trade connections, social formations, and warfare over a period of 15,000 years. Bamforth investigates how foragers harvested the grasslands more intensively over time, ultimately turning to maize farming, and examines the persistence of industrial mobile bison hunters in much of the region as farmers lived in communities ranging from hamlets to towns with thousands of occupants. He also explores how social groups formed and changed, migrations of peoples in and out of the Plains, and the conflicts that occurred over time and space. Significantly, Bamforth's volume demonstrates how archaeology can be used as the basis for telling long-term, problem-oriented human history.