Of Tipis and Yurts March 24, 2008
Posted by Graham in : Yurts , trackbackI have always been interested in the simple nomadic life- although I am now settled in Derryduff for nearly 7 years- and lived in a tipi in Shropshire for a year in 1989. During this time I made frequent visits to Tipi Valley in south Wales- a whole community of around 100 people living in tipis that has been there for nearly 30 years (if it is indeed still going).
Tipi Valley had fairly strict rules about the kind of structures that were permitted- in the lower part of the village tipis only were permitted. The lifestyle was harsh and dedicated- firewood collecting was a constant chore and in the absence of roads through the settlement most people were restricted to whatever dead wood they could carry back on their shoulder each morning, cut with a bow-saw. Tipi living certainly has a beauty and romance about it; there is nothing like waking to the smell of woodsmoke and coffee as the early morning rays and a visiting robin perhaps come through the doorway of your tipi. However, I was never convinced that they were just the right structure for wet and windy Wales. Living in a tipi in such a climate is really a full-time job and requires considerable commitment. Rushes on the floor need to continually renewed to avoid damp, and although the tipi is in effect designed as a chimney, the management of smoke and the need to live literally close to the ground can be waring. In short, tipi living was a great experience and a lovely way to spend a summer or two, but perhaps not ideal for long-term comfort especially as one might grow older and require just a few more creature comforts.
Ironically given the longstanding taboo against anything other than tipis in Tipi Valley, it was actually here that I first came across an alternative nomadic structure that seemed to embody much of the romance of the tipi but offered more comfort.
Some of the longer-standing members of the tipi community began to experiment with yurts and soon found that, because of their shape they were more amenable to fitting with small wood-burning stoves - an accessory that saved a lot of wooding and could add a lot of comfort. The more vertical walls of the yurt meant that more conventional furniture such as chairs and tables became suitable; and yurts also could be mounted on a raised wooden platform, keeping them much dryer. At the same time, yurts like tipis are also covered with white canvas allowing light to filter in while the frame was made of easily available sticks and poles which could be collected from a suitable wood.
I havnt been back to Tipi Valley for about 20 years, but I noticed on my last visit that yurts were becoming more acceptable , perhaps due to pressure on the local firewood supply. In any case I was already hooked.
First experiments in Yurt-Making
I made my first yurt in 1998 with the help of a carpenter friend. It wasnt too successful; the 2″x 1″ lathes we used for the khana -the criss-crossed trellis that makes the walls- did not have sufficient flex in them to take the curved shape of the walls which became convex, and the wheel- made from laminated plywood- was not strong enough. Still, it was the perfect solution as a means of housing myself inexpensively, with the added benefit that I would be able to take it with me when moving on again. I lived in it for a few months until it collapsed in the big Boxing Day storm of that year (I wasnt in it at the time). By then, however, I had done a Yurt Making course- the first of its kind in Ireland I believe- organised by Mark Wilson at the Ailwee Caves in co. Clare, and had been introduced to the art of steam-bending. This involved making a sold wheel from ash cleaved by hand and steam-bent around an iron form. The khana poles were made from hazel sticks, collected ideally from a properly managed coppice woodland. The following year I was asked to do a yurt-making demonstration at the mallow Garden Show; and the year after that the now famous CELT Weekend in the Woods events started, which I have been doing the yurt-making courses at ever since. On these courses participants get to make and take with them their own steam-bent yurt wheel, and learn everything else they need to make the rest of the yurt frame.
In all I lived in a yurt in different locations in Ireland for 5 years. I was certainly glad to upgrade to the roundhouse once it was built but yurts served me very well for the time I was in them, providing a rent-free roof over my head, and I have many happy memories of the time spent in them living close to the earth.
In the summer I make yurts to sell. I am making a new page on this site with photos and instructions for making a rustic yurt. See the courses page for details on yurt courses this summer.
Comments»
Re the use of laths for the wall trellis:
The problem of convexity/concavity is much less on a larger diameter structure, especially if thinner laths are used.