​The tepee was generally made by stretching a cover sewn of dressed buffalo skins over a framework of wooden poles; in some cases reed mats, canvas, sheets of bark, or other materials were used for the covering. Women were responsible for tepee construction and maintenance. In raising a tepee, a woman would begin with 3 or 4 poles, depending upon her tribe’s preferences. These first few poles acted as the keystones of a conical framework that was augmented by some 20 to 30 lighter poles, all leaning toward a central point and tied together a short distance from the top.