A tepee is a tent shaped like a cone: long poles leaning together at the top, with a cover of animal skin or cloth wrapped around them, and a hole at the peak to let smoke from the cooking fire escape. It was the home of Plains peoples in North America — the Lakota, Cheyenne and others — who followed the buffalo and needed a house that could be taken down, carried, and put up again in a new place. That is the key idea: it is not a rough shelter, it is a real home built to move.

A tepee帳篷（圓錐形） is a tent shaped like a cone形狀像圓錐：long poles leaning together at the top長長的桿子在頂端靠在一起，with a cover of animal skin or cloth wrapped around them外面裹著動物皮或布，and a hole at the peak to let smoke from the cooking fire escape頂端有個洞讓煮飯的煙跑出去。It was the home它是 of Plains peoples in North America北美平原原住民的家——the Lakota, Cheyenne and others拉科塔人、夏安人等等——who followed the buffalo他們追隨野牛遷徙 and needed a house that could be taken down, carried, and put up again in a new place需要一種可以拆下來、帶著走、到新地方再搭起來的房子。That is the key idea這是關鍵的想法：it is not a rough shelter它不是隨便搭的棲身處，it is a real home built to move而是為了遷移而建的真正的家。

Today you meet the word in three ways. In history and in writing about Native American life, it means the real thing. In shops it means a small play tent for children, the same shape, sold for a bedroom corner.

Today you meet the word今天你會碰到這個詞 in three ways有三種用法。In history and in writing about Native American life在歷史和描寫美洲原住民生活的文章裡，it means the real thing它指的是真正的那種帳篷。In shops在商店裡 it means a small play tent for children它指小孩玩的小帳篷，the same shape形狀一樣，sold for a bedroom corner是賣來放在房間角落的。

And people sometimes use it loosely for anything made by leaning sticks together in that cone shape — a garden frame for beans, or wood set up for a campfire. The spelling moves around: **tepee**, **teepee** and **tipi** are all used, and **tipi** is the one preferred by people writing carefully about Native American culture. Say it TEE-pee.

And people有時候 sometimes use it loosely還會鬆散地用這個詞 for anything made by leaning sticks together in that cone shape指任何用棍子靠成那個圓錐形做出來的東西——a garden frame for beans像豆子的花園支架、or wood set up for a campfire或搭營火用的木架。The spelling moves around拼法有好幾種：**tepee**, **teepee** and **tipi** are all usedtepee、teepee 和 tipi 都有人用，and **tipi** is the one preferred而 tipi by people writing carefully about Native American culture是認真書寫美洲原住民文化的人比較偏好的拼法。Say it唸法是 TEE-peeTEE-pee。