The nswe’ogen is a conical shaped house once commonly used by Native American families throughout the Great Lakes, Midwest and Canadian Shield.  The term nswe’ogen, (nus-weh-oh-gun) is used by Odawa, Ojibwe and Potawatomi speakers and is based upon the root word nswe’, meaning “three” in reference to the tripod of poles that support the house frame.  Conical houses were primarily used as temporary dwellings when families were traveling or setting up camp for seasonal activities such as ricing, berry picking or spearing fish in the early spring.  The lower house coverings, pekwe’wen, are made of cattail leaves sewn side by side with a needle made from a flat rib bone of a large animal such as an elk, buffalo or moose.  These cattail mats were also used to cover winter homes as they are thick and insulating.  A single cattail mat contains as many as 1400 individual leaves.  The upper part of the house is covered with birch bark panels sewn together with peeled and split spruce roots to form long rolls.  Both the cattail mats and the birch panels are light weight and easily rolled up to be carried between camps.  While traveling, families packed their possessions such as clothing, tools, bedding and even infants in cradle boards inside of the rolled bark and mats.