American Indian History?

Apparently, it's American Indian History month. So, to promote some kind of 'diversity awareness' my work has decided to setup a teepee in the main lobby. I went down to check it out the other day and I was bewildered at what I saw.

First of all, I’m not really sure how a teepee display in the lobby helps promote any awareness. Sure, there may be a historic element there, but do we really want people to think that Indians still live in teepees? Most people gave up living in teepees over 100 years ago when houses proved to be better.

When I saw the monstrosity, I immediately thought ‘Oh my God, what have they done?’ Let me describe. The teepee stands at approximately 25 feet tall. The base is about 12 feet in diameter. Larger than any teepee I have ever seen before. It is colored bright red, orange and yellow, has silhouettes of buffalo, coyotes and the horizon and made out of vinyl. The large poles that hold it up look suspiciously fabricated. Upon closer inspection, the vinyl material has machine-sewed seams running all over it. There are straps sewn on the bottom that are supposed to go around the poles to hold the sides down.

The display was disappointing. I was anticipating an authentic teepee, not one that was made at a factory. Aren’t there any Indians left that make authentic teepees using trees they cut down and cattle hides? (Of course, teepees used to be constructed with buffalo hides, but that would not be practical today.)

My work had a chance to exhibit something really interesting, something that could have taught about real American Indian life hundreds of years ago, but instead they just up put a huge orange and yellow thing that I have to walk around.