What did people live in long ago?
Most people picture tipis when they think about Indian homes. Tipis have been around a long time; stone circles dating back several thousand years have been found at various sites on the Plains. Paleoindian peoples, living near the end of the ice age, did not appear to have used tipis. Traces have been found of posts which probably anchored tent frames or similar structures. Caves and rockshelters were also used as homes by various peoples in the past. About 5,000 years ago people also began living in pit-houses, which were dug into the ground and covered by poles structures. Woodland peoples and the eastern Sioux often made use of pole-and-bark structures similar to later Quonset huts. Finally, the Arikara and Mandans lived in substantial earthlodges. These rugged homes were well-adapted for the severe weather of the northern Plains. The floor was sunk below ground level, and the earth was banked up on walls made of heavy posts. These lodges could house many people and their belonging
