Buffalo Hunters

Sandy is getting quite a history lesson! But then, he's a little bear adventuring through life. Today, Sandy learned about the early inhabitants of this land, the First Nations. The Plains Indians (Cree, Blackfoot, etc) lived a nomadic lifestyle following the herds of buffalo (or bison). They lived in teepees which were easy to pack up and move.

The teepees could be set up very quickly and taken down very quickly as well. They were usually made out of leather (these ones are canvas). But Sandy has one burning question... how did people get into them??

A little bear (like Sandy) could probably suck in his little belly and squeeze between the canvas and the ground, but there must be an easier way. After a circum-navigation of the teeppe... Sandy found the "door" on the other side!

Inside it was kind of dark and it took a while for Sandy's eyes to get used to the lighting. There was a big fire-pit in the centre, which made him think that this would be a very smokey space (cough-cough). But... looking up, he saw a smoke hole at the top of the teepee...

Which then made him think that during a rain storm, the water would come pouring in through the roof opening! But then he learned that there was a big flap of canvas that could be pulled into place to close the opening...

That's what the ropes were used for... whew... this is quite the way to live. Sandy is glad that he doesn't have to pack up and move every few weeks or months!