The tepee from the Great Lakes is one of the most commonly used lampshade designs. It can be made of canvas, sheer fabric or raw hide. Canvas and hide offer a diffused ambient lighting whereas sheer fabric, cardboard and wicker offer a more intense light better suited for task lighting. Hand painted motifs and figurines on lampshades can cast a silhouette of attractive shadows on the walls.
And then there’s the base. Right from wooden poles, spears, bow arrows, shamanistic figurines to feathers, horns and beads, there are tons of objects that are used to create native American-inspired lamp bases.
If you are buying a vintage lamp, then there’s a good chance that the base would be made of brass, bronze or copper, which makes it sturdy but heavy. Modern reproductions are lightweight and can be made of wood, plastic or composite materials. These are flimsy though.