For centuries, caribou skin lodges (ekwo nihmbaà  in Dogrib) were the most common form of shelter for the Dogrib. Making a lodge was a long and difficult task, involving several steps and requiring many caribou hides. Once made however, they offered protection against the elements, and could be easily packed up and transported.

Sometime during the early 1920s canvas began to replace caribou hides in the making of lodges. During a period of transition, hybrid lodges - part hide lodge and part canvas tent - were occasionally used.