WIGWAM  , a

term loosely adopted as a general name for the houses of North American Indians . It is, however, strictly applied to a particular dome-shaped or conical hut made of poles lashed together at the tops and covered with bark . The skin tents of many of the Plains Indians are called tipis . The word " wigwam " represents the Europeanized or Anglicized form of the Algonkian wekou-om-ut, i.e .