The wigwam was the house in which the Algonquins (Anishinabeg) used to live. The wigwam could be round or pointed. From 10 to 20 people could live inside. It was built out of large poles covered in birch bark. The women sewed the pieces of bark together with spruce or fir roots.
The floor of the wigwam was covered in fir branches to make it more comfortable. Drawings of birds, moose, beavers and otters decorated the bark. In the winter, the wigwam was covered with animal skins to keep the heat in. A fire was lit in the centre and the smoke escaped through a chimney hole.
The wigwam is a dwelling that can be set up and taken down easily, which was important to the Algonquins, who were nomadic. The poles were made of trees found on the site, and the group left them there when they moved on to the next place. The bark was rolled onto a branch to be transported.
In later years, the tents were covered with fabric rather than bark, which is still the case today.