Tipi Living Acknowledgement
Our entire community at Camp Nor’wester has the rare and beautiful opportunity to live in tipis and platform tents each summer. Tipis have been the living structure most associated with camp since its inception in 1935.
Why do we live in tipis?
We love being close to nature, with the bare earth beneath our feet and the sun filtering through the canvas.
Living in tipis together helps to promote engagement between campers and staff on a more intimate level, resulting in deepened friendships and heightened awareness regarding community living.
The sturdy structure of a tipi and its conical shape withstand wind and rain yet allow air to move through, helping us immerse in nature with humble respect.
We utilize our resources on camp land to make poles and have the ability to place tipis in precarious places that otherwise would not accommodate a living structure.
We strive to live light on the land and we allow the property to go back to its natural state for nine months before setting up tipis once again. This cycle also allows for flexibility in placement, fluidity in programming and an honoring of the land.
We acknowledge, with full transparency, that tipi structures originated in the Great Plains region of the United Stated and Canada within the Plains Native Culture. Nor’wester does not have an authentic connection or tie to this culture, so we are currently in discussion about what it means for us to continue our tradition of living in tipis. We are striving to educate our community and choose to continue to move into the future with sensitivity, compassion and intention around all things we do.
We acknowledge that there is a fine line between cultural appreciation and appropriation. Our C5 Board Committee (Creating Cultural Competence in our Camp Community) and members of camp leadership are dedicated to continued conversation about this topic and seek to understand all voices in the community as well as societal and cultural observations from outside the community.
We acknowledge that Camp Nor’wester’s love of indigenous culture over the years has solidified tipis as part of our story and sense of place since 1935. This love and appreciation also means that we may need to let go of some things that have been a tradition in our community in order to stay consistent with our values, acting in the utmost integrity as we move into our sustainable future.
Lodging Structures at Nor'wester - Current Updates for Summer 2024
In the fall of 2021, the Nor'wester Board of Directors voted to transition away from tipis as the primary lodging structure used in our summer program. A small work group formed in 2020 to explore suitable alternatives to tipis for use on property. Please see our Fall 2022 Newsletter to read a message to the Nor'wester Community regarding our ongoing tipi transition.
In the summer of 2022, custom bell tents were used in three units after a small trial run the previous summer. We also tested out an air dome tent model in two different units. In the summer of 2023, two units used air dome tents, and two units used bell tents.
Trials for additional structure types will be arranged for near-future summers, as we decide on suitable structures to test.
