In contrast to the village earthlodge, the tipi was a light, portable shelter that served as a seasonal second home. Constructed of slender wooden poles and buffalo hide, tipis were pitched in a circular arrangement during the bison hunt and dance ceremonies, and their exterior hides were decorated with important personal and clan symbols. Two front flaps created both an entrance and a way to catch the wind and regulate drafts for the center fire. These dwellings were in harmony with a nomadic lifestyle, as ancestors moved seasonally to take advantage of the best locations for hunting and gathering, crossed the prairies in pursuit of buffalo herds, and traveled with their tipis to make camp when needed. The structure of a Ponca encampment roughly mimicked the poles of a tipi, with the chief’s camp in the center and surrounding clusters organized by clan, and tipi doors always faced east. Just as the people lived by the land, their homes were traditionally made of the land.