Treepi

A tipi (also te(e)pee) is a conical tenttraditionally made of animal skins or birch bark and popularised by Native Americans of the Great Plains. The tipi was durable, provided warmth and comfort in winter, was dry during heavy rains, and was cool in the heat of summer. Tipis could be disassembled and packed away quickly when a tribe decided to move and could be reconstructed quickly when the tribe settled in a new area.

The word "tipi" comes into English from the Lakota Language the word tʰípi consists of two elements: the verb tʰí, meaning "to dwell", and a pluralising enclitic (a suffix-like ending that marks the subject of the verb as plural), pi, and means "they dwell". Lakota verbs can be used as nouns and this is the case with tʰípi, which in practice just means "house".

Currently we are in our 7 week on the Brentwood Tipi build or what has now been coined the Treepi. Our first 4 weeks in construction took place in Santa Ana CA at our temporary pre fab location in a back lot rented from Graphical Dimensions. Now in our third week of on site installation the structure is nearly complete. Today we will be making the finishing touches on the entry ladder and trap door. The soon to be installed canopy will reach 25' into the upper branches of the tree and surround this two foot diameter Canadian Pine and extend over the walls of the 14' diameter platform.