The word "wigwam" comes from the Abenaki term for "dwelling." It refers to
housing for Indian tribes in the Northeast (notably Algonquin Chippewas),
although it has been used interchangeably (and erroneously) with "tipi"
(the dwelling of the Plains Indian ) and "wickiup" (found in the Great
Basin). Wigwams had a frame of saplings or poles, and were covered in a
bark or rush matting. They were usually conical in shape, although some
were longer, shaped more like loaves of bread. They had a hole in the top
to allow smoke to escape. As eastern Indian tribes were not generally
nomadic, wigwams were often built as permanent structures.