Smoke Hole

• The tepee has a hole at the top. It serves as a chimney to evacuate smoke so that you can build a fire inside the tepee. The chemicals in the fire rise and drag along the top of the tepee's buffalo hide cover. This stains the hide a darker color. The chemicals in the smoke also help seal the hide to better keep the cold out.
  
  

Insulation

• A tepee is not just a buffalo hide draped over logs. Many hides overlap one another and two layers for insulation exist. The layers are carefully placed a few inches apart, keeping a pocket of air between them. Layering aids insulation so the fire's warmth is trapped inside the tepee.
  
  

Airflow

• The outside layer of buffalo hide is 6 to 8 inches off the ground. The inside layer, known as the liner, is snug to the ground and shorter than the outside layers. The fire draws cool air in between the layers and must rise up over the liner, entering the inside of the tepee from the top. The cool air sinks down, trapping, or crowding, the warm air around the fire.
  
  

Prevailing Winds

• When the tepee is constructed, it is made to lean into the wind. The purpose is mainly for stability, and the prevailing winds will aid in evacuating the smoke. Because the wind is helping, the smoke hole can be made smaller. The smaller the smoke hole, the lesser the exposure to the cold.