Culture | Community | Place : Sustaining cultural values: Past, Present, & Future

Abstract

It is fundamental that culture is embedded within the act of communication and social interaction. This thesis will examine how architecture has embodied and reinforced a tribe's central notions about their society. A focus will be placed on past architectural traditions and continued changes in built forms. This will become the framework for a process where traditions are re_Introduced, re_Defined, and re_Interpreted in a contemporary context. Through analysis and interaction with the American Indian I will seek to understand how architecture(s) can play a role in culture and the definition of a community environment. With this research, I am looking for a deeper understanding of the built environment of the Northern Cheyenne through the context of the culture, community, and place. The focus here will be to explore the community as it relates to an "Indian's" definition of living and interaction within society. Design proposals will attempt to identify and clarify the ways in which the American Indian lives and operates in a world, seen and inhabited by Euro-American ideologies. The research and data presented will challenge the thesis to understand "Dwelling" as it relates to the physical environment, built environment, and the correlation between the two.