The wickiup was a temporary hut made of brush reeds placed over willow
poles.  The Paiutes were nomadic Indians of the Great Basin, the arid
plateaus covering parts of Nevada, Utah, California, Oregon, and Arizona. 
The Paiutes roamed their territory constantly , according to the seasonal
availability of food, and then devised the wickiup as a convenient shelter
made from available materials.  Spring brought roots and migratory fowl in
the marshes and fish in the highland rivers; summer brought berries and
autumn pine nuts in the wooded hills.  In fall and winter, the Paiutes
returned to the desert lowlands to hunt game.