English

Arapaho

Translation of the Arapaho

‘pale pine’ (due to the color of the bark)

Lodgepole Pine and the Arapaho

Lodgepole pines were, as the name suggests, used for tipi lodgepoles. The Arapaho would go into the high mountains, girdle a tree of its bark near the base so as to kill it, and leave it standing for a year. They would then return the next year to cut the tree. If the tree was cut immediately, it would tend to warp, whereas the dead tree would dry straight and solid during the year.

Lodgepole pines are still used to construct the arbors or "shades" which Arapahos build during the Sun Dance, as the camp around the main lodge.