PRE-DESIGNED COVERS
Our pre-designed covers ‘designed by Nomadics’ are beautiful combinations of the various design elements we offer, with a few little added extras. There is a fixed price per size for the full design, which makes choosing quick and easy, with the assurance that you are getting a stunning, meaningful tipi. Just refer to the name of the design and let us know if you would like it in Paint or in Antique Wash, as most of our designs can be painted in both styles. Add a door design if you wish.
We are also collaborating with Native Artists who have agreed to design tipi covers for us. Every time a customer chooses their design, the artist receives a royalty payment, which is included in the cost of the artwork. You will find an example of these designs at the bottom of this page – and we will be adding to it as we are receiving more offers for collaborations.
canyonlands
These design elements pay tribute to the wonder and mystic of the geological sculptures of the Canyonlands area of the American South West. The exquisite natural sandstone shapes of earthen colors are the basis for the Native American art that is created in the American South West. Black, white, terracotta and tan create a soft and organic feel to so much of their art in pottery, sculpture, textiles and clothing. Anyone who has wandered through this magical landscape has always been startled by an unexpected encounter with a raven suddenly appearing and then disappearing into these labyrinths of hidden grottos and passageways. Shown here in SW Paint.
the shaman’s dreams
The ‘Warrior Spirit’ bottom design is interpreted as shaman figures rising up from the earth. They are painted not walking on the surface of the earth but still embedded in and literally apart of the earth herself. Therefore their wisdom is dependent upon their intimate relationship with Earth and Nature, and this connection guides all their spiritual insights. The shaman’s dreams are the dreams of Mother Earth herself and so the shaman can speak directly as nature’s emissary for man.
The raven is frequently associated with the shamanic realm and is the messenger between the world of man and the world of the Great Spirit. So here the sky is rich with the communication between man and his reliable spiritual partner. Thus the shaman has a personal rapport with all the realms of nature. Shown here in SW Paint.
ceremonial design
This tipi design tells the mythical story of the shaman’s journey. This journey begins in the earth plane represented by the ‘Black Hills’ bottom designs. The red pinning stripe is the path of the upward journey. This path takes the shaman through the celestial domain, represented by the ‘Many Moons’ band, and then continuous through the ‘Rattlesnake Band’, which signifies the deep trust that all living things possess in Mother Earth. The shaman’s journey finally ends in the realm of the Great Mystery, represented by the unfinished pyramid of small white circles. Here the shaman receives the instruction and training that is needed to serve as a spiritual teacher and visionary. Shown here in Bright Paint and Antique Wash.
buck and doe’s
This is a classical combination of various elements from our design options. The ‘Black Hills’ bottom symbolizes the hills where the animals roam freely, the ‘Phases of the Moon Band’ and the “Red Tailed Hawk’ depict the sky during day and night. The ‘Buck and Doe’s’ are the animals that are chosen for the middle area, but any standard pictograph animals can be substituted by them. The price for the ‘Buck & Doe’s’ design includes 4 animals for the size 12ft/14ft, 5 animals for 16ft/18ft, 6 animals for 20ft/22ft and 7 animals for 24ft/26ft. Shown here in Antique Wash.
geo design
This geometric design is as ancient as graphic design itself. It can be found in almost every culture in the world at least as far back as 5000 BC. The balanced, interlocking labyrinth nature of the design symbolized intimacy, interdependence and interconnectedness. This referred not only to the necessity of our co-existence and co-dependence with Nature, but also acknowledges the necessity of human beings to co-operate and co-exist with one another. And, for the same reason, this graphic design stands for friendship and the personal trust expressed in creating allegiances. The Morning Star design at the top has had the same artistic prevalence in design throughout native and indigenous cultural history. Shown here in various color combinations.
wild horse meadow
This wonderfully fluid and animated design emphasizes the grace and beauty of the movement exhibited by all living things. This eloquence is symbolized by the coordinated power of movement that we see in the ease with which horses seemingly glide from one step to the other. And who has not been mesmerized by the dazzling flight of swallows at play, unquestionably flying with incomprehensibly effortless agility – and clearly just for the sheer fun of it. Also, the wild meadow grasses below are caught up in this festival of joyful movement. ‘Wild Horse Meadow’ celebrates our deep reverence for the dance of all the life forms of Nature. Horses can be substituted with other pictograph animals. 5 animals for the size 12ft/14ft, 6 animals for 16ft/18ft, 8 animals for 20ft/22ft and 10 animals for 24ft/26ft. Only available in Antique Wash.
the four directions
This design combination depicts the realm of nature that is independent of man. The ‘Four Directions’ design at the top of the tipi symbolizes that Nature extends in all directions and that there is no place that her care and support for life does not reach. The colorful band just below the top symbolizes the wondrous variety of colors and shapes of the creatures that abound in all the corners of the earth. The vertical rows of circles at the bottom, our ‘Many Lakes’ design, represent the infinite flow of water that gives life to every living thing above and below the surface of the land. And, the stylized ravens symbolize that every living thing is allowed to “fly freely” in the abundance of Nature in accordance with their sharing of mutual coexistence and cooperation. Shown here in SW Paint.
anasazi inspiration
This unique tipi design is comprised entirely of design elements from the pottery of the Native Americans of the South West. They consistently created very sophisticated, abstract designs of nature more than 1000 years before that artistic motif appeared in the visual arts in Europe. The singular design that is repeated on this tipi is that of the rainbird. All life in the arid southwestern landscape depended upon the alchemical magic of rain. The rainbird was the symbol for the source of rain and acknowledges the deep reverence and gratitude that the people had for this blessed being. The elaborately feathered pinning stripe symbolizes the constant flight of the rainbird between the realm of the earth and sky, always returning with the gift of life giving water in the form of rain. Shown here in SW Paint.
Native Artist Creations
This design was created and painted by Dale Rae Samples, a Blackfeet descendant who was born and raised on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana. Her inspiration for this design comes from traditional Blackfeet painted lodges.
The design shown is a combination of various designs with one animal each. The animals are spirit helpers and Dale is offering her design with coyotes, bisons, cougars, horses or bears. The colors of the band above the animals are turquoise representing the heavens, black symbolizing bravery, red as the color for the blood of ourselves and our ancestors. The color orange represents her as an artist and yellow stands for the power of the creator. These colors are picked up in the Four Directions symbol at the top and the designs in the smoke flaps: Seven Brothers & Little Sister to the northern sky and Bunched Stars or Lost Children towards the southern sky.
