Traditionally, did Nipmuc Indians live in a tipi? Were they nomadic hunters?
A. No, Nipmuc people lived in a dome-shaped lodge called a ‘wetu’, called ‘wigwam’ by other Algonquian speaking peoples. A ‘wetu’ is constructed from a frame of criss-crossing saplings bent in a u-shape, which is then covered with woven cattail mats or sheets of pealed hardwood bark, leaving a smoke hole at the top. A wetu was complete with low sleeping platforms and was big enough for an extended family to live in. Nipmucs were never exclusively ‘nomadic hunters’. Even their ancestors twelve thousand years ago arranged themselves on the landscape according to a very deliberate and calculated seasonal schedule. It requires an intimate knowledge of the regional environment, not haphazard luck, to know exactly when and where to move to the most abundant resources. Although large game animals were a very important food resource to Nipmucs and their ancestors in Connecticut, they were also gatherers and fishermen. In addition to the meat procured from deer and other large mammals, the Nipm
