Last week the Nature Protection team of the Guardia Civil, Seprona, carried out the seizure of potentially dangerous animals, specifically poisonous snakes, among which were specimens of cobras, vipers and rattlesnakes.

To carry out this seizure as well as for the reception and preliminary care of the specimens, they were assisted by the staff and institutions of ARCO Spain, Oasys MiniHollywood and the Zoo of Castellar de La Frontera.

At all times, animal welfare was ensured with the necessary safety and prevention conditions, as well as having the necessary protocols for handling this type of animals, including the banks of antidotes necessary to be able to handle these species.

Once again the Oasys MiniHollywood Park Conservation Department provides technical assistance to these special actions carried out by the Spanish authorities.

Learn about the Native American tipi and discover why it is one of the best designed homes for camping

What is a Native American tipi?

If you have ever seen Peter Pan or any Western movie, you know what the homes of some North American tribes looked like in the 16th century.

These tall and luminous white cones are called tipis, which means “home” or “place to live” in the Dakota Indian language. They were made from tanned animal hides, generally from buffalo, bison, elk, or antelope, and wooden poles, generally pine, as it was most abundant in the hills and valleys of the Rocky Mountains.

The tipis must always be raised pointing towards the East, as this is the point on the horizon where dawn breaks. Thanks to their ventilation, they stay cool in the summer and warm and cozy in the winter. They are resistant to rain and wind and their shape invites those in them to connect with nature and the spirit. The floor of the tent represents mother Earth, the ceiling father Sky, and each post of the tipi represents that path between man and the Great Spirit. Outside, the Native Americans tended to come together around a bonfire and take part in the cultural and spiritual customs of their tribe or clan.

History of the Native American tipi

The shape of tipis has not always been as we know them today. Due to the nomadic lifestyle of the majority of the clans and tribes that used them, they were forced to reinvent themselves and evolve their shelter according to the needs of the moment until eventually, the tipis looked like what we all know now.

Although it is difficult to determine when this culture was born, according to archeological remains and travel logs, we can say that the first tipi looked more like “two sticks holding up some hides” to protect the lodger from the sun, rain, or wind. Nothing like what we’ve seen in movies or studied at school, right?

It is possible that members of Francisco Vázquez de Coronado’s expedition (1540-1542) were the first Europeans to see tipis in the Native American camps of the Southwestern tribes. From the results of that expedition, we can conclude from the descriptions they wrote that the tipis used at that time were much smaller than customary.

Later on, thanks to the arrival of the Appaloosa horse, the tribes started to hunt bison on horseback, thus decreasing the risk of accidents and obtaining pelts and food in abundance. As reserves grew and exchange between clans became easier, the size of the tipi had to grow bigger. It went from being around 13 to 16.5 feet in diameter to around 26 to 29.5 feet in diameter in order to be able to more easily store belongings, pelts, food, and more.

Structure of the Native American tipi

The Indian tipi is a cone-shaped tent made of the hides of animals they hunted. One of the main advantages of its asymmetrical form is that it protects against the strong winds of the West.

What’s more, it has an interior lining. This layer helped spur on the chimney effect. A current of air moves between the outer and inner walls, which means that the air circulates well, preventing smoke from accumulating or, on the contrary, the condensation effect.

The women were the ones who assembled and moved the homes. They chose the location and organized how the village would be arranged. As they were “portable” homes, they generally could be set up and broken down in one or two hours, which facilitated their nomadic movements.

1. Smoke ventilation
2. Ventilation cover
3. Lacing pins
4. Rollable door
5. Entrance
6. Pegs for the lining
7. Wood
8. Firepit
9. Chair
10. Bed
11. Tent pegs
12. Poles for the smoke flap
13. Lining
14. Ozan
15. Canvas
16. Lashings

Types of Native American tipis

Despite the exchange of knowledge, every tribe and clan had some peculiarities when it came to creating and/or decorating each Indian tipi. Tribes’ own myths and cultural references could be seen through the decoration of their tents. Three basic prototypes stand out:

Dakota Tipi: The most notable aspect of this tipi is its vertical structure, which helps the rain quickly roll off of it. The top is reinforced in the area where the crossbars meet. The oval base tends to be structured around between twelve and fifteen long poles. It is considered by many to be the tipi that is easiest to repair and is practical and multi-functional.

Crow Tipi: This tipi is probably the most beautiful from an aesthetic point of view. The size of its extendible wings, used to help smoke escape, are in perfect harmony with the nearly conical shape of the tipi itself. The opening of the entrance is traditional and forms a lower-case “a” shape.

Blackfoot Tipi: Its design is most effective in dry, windy areas, as its shape is less vertical than others. The upper opening is more open in the area where the upper poles cross, which allows for rainwater to fall where the smoke exits. The most notable disadvantages of these tipis are that it takes longer to set them up and break them down and repairing them is more difficult.

Sleeping in an Indian tipi

If you have never had the experience of spending the night with your friends in the middle of nature eating, singing, or telling stories around the camp fire and sleeping in a tent, protected from the cold and the night, then now is the time. We have so much to thank the Native Americans for. When you try out an Indian tipi, you’ll succumb to its magic and charm and will never forget the cozy, peaceful moments you spend in it. This experience is worth trying out at least once in your life.

As we’ve seen, a tipi is a perfect place to stay for a life spent in nature, but most of all, it’s the perfect excuse for an original getaway where you can soak up the culture of the North American Indian tribes. Feel at one with nature and experience the charm that these unique and beautiful homes can offer you!

Westward expansion brought about numerous wars between Native Americans and colonists during the 18th and 19th centuries. As had occurred before elsewhere on the American continents, the Native Americans rebelled against invasion and occupation. Some of the most bellicose tribes were the Sioux and the Apaches, whose battles and skirmishes against the United States Army have been portrayed in innumerable Westerns. In this post, we’ll tell you about some episodes of the most famous Indian wars of the 19th century.

The Apache Wars

The Apache conflicts began in the 16th century, when the Spanish arrived in the territories of Arizona and New Mexico. Conflict later continued with the Mexicans from the beginning of the 19th century until 1848, when these areas became United States territory. As a result of the discovery of gold in California and the consequent wave of immigrants who crossed this territory on their way to the West Coast, the situation with the Apaches worsened considerably.

The Apache Wars were conflicts that occurred between 1861 and 1886 in the territories of Arizona and New Mexico. Cochise, the Chiricahua Apache chief, led many of these battles against the United States Army alongside his father-in-law, Mangas Coloradas. There was a brief ceasefire in the wars after an agreement was made in which they agreed to live on a reservation in the Chiricahua Mountains and Sulphur Spring Valley, a sacred area for the tribe.

However, the conflicts continued with the famous chief Geronimo, who was born in Sonora and spoke Spanish. Despite being a very controversial figure—many of his actions did not always have the approval of his own people—he kept the United States government in check starting in 1876, with his refusal to accept that Indians were to be confined to reservations. This incited rebellion among many Apache tribes. Geronimo was arrested in the Sierra Madre Mountains in 1886. With his arrest, all the Apache Wars ended, as him and his followers were sent to faraway reservations in Florida and Oklahoma.

Sioux Indian Wars

As we explained in a previous post on American Indian tribes, the Great Sioux Nation was the name that the group of tribes who lived on the Great Plains was known by (Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota). The natural border of their territory was the Mississippi River. They were nomadic and hunted bison. They are one of the most well-known Indian tribes in part because they put up fierce resistance to the advances of the US conquest.

To understand the Sioux Indian Wars which broke out in the 19th century, you have to go back to 1803, when France sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States. This vast expanse of approximately 827,000 square miles stretched over fifteen modern day US states. This date marked the start of westward expansion.

Red Cloud’s War: 1866-1868

In 1851, the United States Government and the Sioux signed the first Treaty of Fort Laramie. With this peace agreement, the Native Americans promised to allow the construction of military forts on Indian territory and the passage of caravans towards the West. In exchange, the government recognized these lands as theirs.

However, constant violations of the treaty and incidents between the new arrivals and the natives lead to a breakdown of peace, which triggered what is known as Red Cloud’s War (1866 and 1868), in honor of the famous Sioux Indian Chief Red Cloud. He allied with the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes to combat what they considered to be an abuse of the occupation of their territories.

This Sioux Indian war is also known as the Powder River War, as the battles were triggered over control of this river, located in the center of Wyoming. The famous Bozeman trail, the main road that led to the Montana gold mines, also passes through here.

During this war, the Native Americans blocked the route, assaulting trains and attacking troops that were constructing forts. As a consequence, a second Treaty of Fort Laramie was signed in 1868. In it, the Lakota were recognized as having control of the Powder River territory and the Black Hills—the famous sacred hills—were recognized as a part of the Great Sioux Reservation. It also established hunting rights in the territories of South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.

The Black Hills War 1876-1877

Gold fever and rumors of the discovery of this mineral in the Black Hills motivated many migrants to cross these reservations’ territories; the government did nothing to stop them. These incursions on their territory did not sit well with the Sioux, who responded with assaults, leading to the violation of the treaty by both parties.

Various incidents triggered another Great Sioux War: The Black Hills War, also known as the Great Sioux War (1876-77). It was led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, famous leaders of the Oglala and Hunkpapa tribes, who were well known to the United States Army.

The Battle of Little Bighorn: 1876

The most famous battle of all the Indian Wars is the Battle of the Little Bighorn. It took place in 1876 during the Black Hills War and was the greatest defeat of the United States military in their conflicts with native people. Between June 25 and 26, the Seventh Calvary Regiment, a force of more than 700 men led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, was defeated. A total of 268 people died, including the Colonel.

It seems that one of the factors that played a role in the defeat was Custer’s unwise decision not to wait for reinforcements and attack before they arrived. Furthermore, his troops were divided into three columns that attempted to attack from different areas. They were also outnumbered by Indian warriors.

It was a great victory for the Native Americans, but it had little impact afterwards, as the tribes were defeated in later battles. The Black Hills War ended with a new treaty in 1877 that was unfavorable for the Native Americans, as the Government took over their territories. This time, it was permanent.

The defeat was a point of no return in the Government’s intention of putting an end to the Indians. Since 1877, many military resources were invested in subduing and confining them to reservations. Indeed, all of the leaders fell except for Sitting Bull, who managed to flee to Canada.

The Wounded Knee Massacre: 1890

The Battle of Little Bighorn was followed by one of the darkest episodes in the history of the United States: The Wounded Knee Massacre (1890). In this incident, the Seventh Cavalry Regiment attacked the Pine Ridge Reservation population, causing nearly 300 deaths, the majority of which were women and children.

The Indian Wars finally ended with the surrender of Native American leaders and the tribes’ acceptance of living on reservations, which continue to exist today. If you want to learn more about the history of the Far West and Westerns, don’t miss out on visiting Oasys MiniHollywood.