Black tents of the German youth movement
In the German youth movement, the Kohte and the yurt are referred to as black tents . These tents differ from the traditional black tents of the nomads, as the tent surfaces were and are not made from the hair of the desert goat, but from black cotton material. The construction is also partly different. Not only the characteristics of the tents should be adopted from the models kote and yurt, but also partly the culture of those who live and travel in the open air.
Modern black tents are also available in other colors. Thus, the term “black tent” is now used to describe tents with certain properties and does not necessarily refer to the color.
origin
The idea for the Kohte comes from the German (autonomous) youth group on November 1, 1929 , a federation within the Bündische Jugend . The Kohte was developed around 1930 by Eberhard Koebel tusk based on the tent shape of the Finnish Sami (in the region of Lake Inari ). According to Koebel's ideas, the tents should be colorful, the first (sample) Kohte was made of white canvas and was not weatherproof. Koebel never used the term "black tents" and did not know the nomads' black tents either. The term “black tents” came about through the almost exclusive availability of black tent sheets. After the Second World War, the Kohte was taken over by the scouts and other groups of the German youth movement. In addition, the black tents are mainly used in German-speaking countries. The “yurt of the youth movement”, based on the classic yurt , was also introduced by Koebel, primarily as a meeting tent for groups. Since the 1990s, the tent sheets have been repeatedly developed technically and structurally, so that a large number of tent constructions are possible today. However, this development has also meant that not every tarpaulin system is compatible with other tarpaulin systems. For example, tarpaulins from different manufacturers often do not fit together perfectly.
particularities
The classic black tents Kohte and Yurt offer the possibility to set up an open fireplace in the middle of the tent through a smoke vent .
Classic black tents consist of individual tarpaulins: a classic Kohte consists of four triangular lanes, a classic yurt of six triangular lanes and twelve square rectangular lanes. Thanks to the modular design, the tents can be divided up among several group members for transport.
The Kohten tracks are connected to each other with a system of eyes and loops . The square or rectangular rectangular panels are connected with buttons / buttonholes, whereby tarpaulin systems with eyelets and loops are increasingly establishing themselves here as their construction is often possible with less expenditure of time.
The poles of the tents do not have to be carried. There are connector systems made of wood or aluminum rods, but rod material can also be made on site. A kohte can be hung under a large tree.
Some groups paint the black tent sheets with the association symbol, the clan logo, a heraldic animal or other motifs.
Types
Kohte
The Kohte is the basic shape of the black tents that was invented by Eberhard Koebel and offers space for 4 to 6 people.
Kohten are made from simple, approximately triangular Kohten strips, or from tarpaulins with so-called earth strips and with or without buttonholes on the edge of the tent strips facing the ground.
A strip of earth is an extension of the tent sheet on the edge facing the ground. This allows the clear height within the tent to be increased by a few centimeters in order to obtain more usable space. At the same time, soil strips can be used to reduce soiling caused by ground contact between the tent sheet and the earth strip, since the actual tent sheet forming the roof has no contact with the ground.
In the case of Kohten strips with buttonholes on the edge facing the floor, square strips can also be attached. Such a construction is called a Hochkohte and is basically similar to the construction of a yurt.
Yurt
The yurt of the youth movement is modeled on the traditional yurt of the nomads in West and Central Asia. It is often used as a meeting tent or as accommodation for larger groups. A yurt with a simple beam and without a fireplace can easily accommodate 15 to 25 people including luggage and is usually around 6 m in diameter, around 1.6 m high on the sides and around 2.5 m in the middle . This provides a floor space of around 29 m 2 . Many yurt users turn up the square tarpaulin on the sides during the day in summer to use the yurt as a sun canopy.
The roof of the yurt consists either of the classic six triangular tarpaulins or half or whole so-called yurt roofs.
As with the Kohte, the structure of the yurt can also be modified. For example, it can be made of coal tarpaulin or special half yurt roofs, and the two halves can be pulled apart by the amount of one or more square tarpaulins. This gives the tent an almost oval shape. Rectangular tarpaulins, so-called oval or theater tarpaulins, are used in the roof. The various tarpaulins allow numerous other combinations, of which the larger and more extensive ones are also known as “yurt castles”, provided the constructions consist of more than just one yurt with an extension. There are also established special forms of the yurt, including:
- Large yurt with a larger diameter
- Super large yurt with a further enlarged diameter
- Five-person yurt made from five kohten leaves
- Yurt constructions
Construction of three yurts on a winter camp
Yurt with extension made from side tarpaulin
Double yurt construction from above
toad
An emergency tent made from a coal runway is called a toad . The tarpaulin is anchored at the narrow end with two pegs , raised at the wide foot end with a pole and anchored on the remaining sides with pegs. A toad is open on one side and offers itself as a shelter for bivouacking .
locomotive
A locomotive (also called a locomotive or double toad) is built from two coal railways. The panels are tied together on the broad sides and anchored with pegs on the narrow sides. In the middle, the construction is raised by an inner bar. In the construction with an external linkage, a locomotive offers two people a place to sleep.
literature
- Yvonne Birkner among others: Black Zelten manual . ZIEL-Verlag, Augsburg 2012, ISBN 978-3-940562-62-3 .
- Manfred Wacker: Querweltein. Georgs-Verlag, 1998.
- Black magic . DVD, approx. 40 minutes.
- Ralph Fröhlich: Jurtenland Handbook. , 4th edition, 2017
Web links
- Black tent archive. Archived from the original on November 4, 2016 ; Retrieved on April 3, 2019 (Comprehensive collection of materials on kohten and yurts).
- Development of the Kohte
- Article about black tents at Scout-o-wiki
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.freischar.de/dokumente/z04-1kohte.pdf ( Memento from July 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on November 9, 2014