Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Tipi to Tipi Ring: A Transformational Model

1983; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 28; Issue: 102 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/2052546.1983.11909168

2052-546X

James T. Finnigan,

Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation

Tipi rings have been the subject of sporadic archaeological inquiry for at least 40 years. This paper differs from much of previous research since it focuses on the tipi ring as an architectural remain. Like other archaeological phenomena,. the tipi ring was a product of cultural decision-making and purposeful cultural behavior. The tipi ring had a well-defined function: prevention of the tipi from tipping and collapsing in high winds. Success in such prevention and thereby the usefulness of the stones were dependent upon a correct interpretation and prediction of local environmental stresses.In order to realize better the archaeological potential of tipi rings, this paper develops a transformational model that transcends the hiatus between the tipi as part of a functioning cultural system and its archaeological remains. Included in this discussion are examinations of variables that affect tipi and tipi ring construction, of processes that affect the tipi ring as it becomes an archaeological phenomenon, and of aspects of the tipi ring that preserve information about past cultural behavior. The paper concludes by examining major applications of a systemic knowledge of tipi/tipi ring interrelationships, including better definition, better recording, and the possibility of going beyond the tipi ring itself to larger questions of settlement pattern and lifestyle-a journey from the micro to the macrocosm.