Igloo

In the far north the Inuit perfected construction of the domed snow house, or igloo. (The word igloo comes from the Inuit iglu, meaning “house.”)

An outstanding example of human ingenuity, the igloo held in heat, because snow provides good insulation, and protected against wind. Igloos varied in detail but all were round and built of blocks of snow. The walls curved inward toward the top to form a snow vault (arched ceiling). A tunnel entrance had a bend, or cold trap, to preserve heat, and a small hole near the top of the igloo provided ventilation. In spring the melting dome was removed and replaced with a covering of animal skins to form a between-season dwelling called a qarmaq. In summer the Inuit moved to portable tents of seal or caribou hides.

Some Inuit peoples of central and eastern Canada make igloos of snow as both short- and long-term winter homes. Inuit may live in igloos for months at a time, using soapstone lamps burning whale or seal fat for warmth. The word igloo comes from the Inuit term iglu, meaning "house." George Holton/Photo Researchers, Inc.

In the past, the Inuit were chiefly a nomadic people who hunted for sustenance and followed their game's seasonal movements. Although many Inuit now live in fixed settlements throughout the newly autonomous Canadian territory of Nunavut, some maintain their traditional hunting customs. Pictured here is an Inuit standing next to his summer igloo, a tent made of walrus or seal hides. Wolfgang Kaehler