“Conical” is the new name adopted by NLI because of cultural appropriation issues, for conical structures installed in children’s outdoor play and learning areas, previously called teepees (tepees or tipis). The latter are loanwords from Dakota and Lakota languages used for conical tent structures, historically serving as family spaces in nomadic tribes of the Great Plains. Traditional tipis were observed to be about 10 ft in diameter and 15-18 ft tall structures made from 13-15 wooden poles covered with bison skins or nowadays canvas (see Tipi Wikipedia for more information).

Tipis are naturally circular. “For the Lakota, the circle was the ultimate symbol of kinship. Everybody and everything alive belong in that circle.” (Aktá Lakota Museum & Cultural Center).