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Description
Nicolaas Witsen's 'Schaman, or Devil-priest'. Depiction of a 'Tungus' (Evenk) shaman from 1692. Note the teepee-like dwellings called 'chums' in the background. According to the Wiki Thing:

"A chum (pronounced "choom") is a temporary dwelling used by the nomadic Uralic (Nenets, Nganasans, Enets, Khanty, Mansi, Komi) reindeer herders of northwestern Siberia of Russia. The Evenks, Tungusic peoples, tribes, in Russia, Mongolia and China also use chums. They are also used by the southernmost reindeer herders, of the Todzha region of the Republic of Tyva and their cross-border relatives in northern Mongolia. It has a design similar to a Native American tipi but some versions are less vertical. It is very closely related to the Sami lavvu in construction, but is somewhat larger in size. Some chums can be up to thirty feet (ten meters) in diameter."

I think you can gain a lot of insight into Native American views and traditions by studying the indigenous people of Siberia. After all they're closely related. Plus, information on the Siberians tends to be available in less 'touristy' formats. Of course you will have to learn Russian at least in order to have full access to the subject, but if you're really interested in these matters, it might prove well worth it.

In my opinion, true artists are the Schamans of the modern world.

Description
Nicolaas Witsen's 'Schaman, or Devil-priest'. Depiction of a 'Tungus' (Evenk) shaman from 1692. Note the teepee-like dwellings called 'chums' in the background. According to the Wiki Thing:

"A chum (pronounced "choom") is a temporary dwelling used by the nomadic Uralic (Nenets, Nganasans, Enets, Khanty, Mansi, Komi) reindeer herders of northwestern Siberia of Russia. The Evenks, Tungusic peoples, tribes, in Russia, Mongolia and China also use chums. They are also used by the southernmost reindeer herders, of the Todzha region of the Republic of Tyva and their cross-border relatives in northern Mongolia. It has a design similar to a Native American tipi but some versions are less vertical. It is very closely related to the Sami lavvu in construction, but is somewhat larger in size. Some chums can be up to thirty feet (ten meters) in diameter."

I think you can gain a lot of insight into Native American views and traditions by studying the indigenous people of Siberia. After all they're closely related. Plus, information on the Siberians tends to be available in less 'touristy' formats. Of course you will have to learn Russian at least in order to have full access to the subject, but if you're really interested in these matters, it might prove well worth it.

In my opinion, true artists are the Schamans of the modern world.