Constructing a model Native American dwelling for a school project or for personal pleasure can be a satisfying and educational process. However, building an accurate model requires some basic research because the many tribes of North America have distinct methods of architecture based on the materials native to their region. Options range from the ice-block igloos of the Alaskan Inuits to the plank houses of the Pacific Northwest Chinook to the birch-bark wigwams of the Algonquins.
A relatively easy starter project is making a tepee, the home used by the Great Plains-dwelling Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes.
Instructions
Construct the base for your model tepee
1. Using the sponge brush, dab the green paint onto the piece of foam core board. Allow the paint to dry.
2. Drizzle glue onto the entire foam core base.
3. Sprinkle the grass or crumbled Spanish moss onto the glue. Press the grass firmly into the glue to secure it.
4. Allow the glue to dry. This will give your model tepee the look of being nestled in the rolling grasses of the Great Plains.
Construct your model tepee frame
5. Use the string to tie the bamboo skewers together 2 to 3 inches away from the sharp end. Make sure the knot allows the skewers some movement.
6. Flare out the long ends of the skewers into a cone shape. This is the frame for your model tepee.
7. Lay one flat side of the tepee frame down on the piece of printer paper and trace the triangle. This is the template for the tepee cloth.
Construct your cloth tepee covering
8. Lay the cloth out flat and lay the paper template on the cloth. Trace the template. Repeat this process four more times, making sure the long edges of the triangle meet.
9. Cut out the outlined shape. You should end up with a fan-shaped piece of cloth made up of five triangles. In the middle triangle, cut out a small, dome-shaped door.
10. Use the red, yellow, blue, black and white tempura paint to decorate the tepee covering with Great Plains Native American symbols. Allow the paint to dry.
11. Hot glue the long ends of the cloth together. When the hot glue has cooled, snip off the tip of the cone. The top of the frame will go through this hole.
Assemble your model tepee diorama
12. Slip the tepee frame into the cloth covering so the secured end of the frame goes through the small hole. This is the top of the tepee.
13. Fan the skewers out so that the tepee covering is taut. Affix the skewers to the cloth using small dots of hot glue. Allow the glue to cool.
14. Select where on the model base you would like the tepee to stand. Dot hot glue on the bottom ends of the skewers and affix the tepee to the base. Allow the glue to cool completely.
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