On the Look Out: Tipi, Teepee, Tepee...

 How, that’s the question here. As in how in the world do you spell Tipi? Lots of people have been wondering how you do, well there are a few ways that it’s spelled: tipi, tepee, and teepee. The word means the same thing; it means a conical tent, traditionally made of animal skins and wooden poles. Some common misspellings are Teepe (67%) and tepe (33%).

In finding different ways of spelling tipi, I look in to publications. In Treaty Essential Learning’s: We Are Treaty People, written by Office of the Treaty Commissioner, the word is spelled “Tipi”.  In the UXL encyclopedia of Native American tribes they spell it “Tepees”. So, is there a right way to spell tipi/teepee? I wanted see how other people spelled tipi; the first person I talked to said “Teepee”, the next person told me “Teepe”, and the last person said "tipie."

By Randi