WEBVTT

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The Eskimo word \'igloo\' means house.

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To the natives of the Canadian Eastern
Arctic, igloo is the snow house.

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Built of snow blocks cut
from the hard-packed drifts,

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an igloo provides the Eskimo with
shelter during the long winter months.

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Easy to build once you know how,
his home is compact and strong.

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The igloo gains strength
from its ingenious design.

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After the first row of blocks
has been put in place,

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one block is cut to
form a sloping surface.

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The second row is started on this slope and
the blocks built up in a continuous spiral,

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the key to the whole structure.

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On the west shore of Hudson\'s Bay,
the low rolling terrain offers

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little protection against the
bitter cold of the Northwest wind.

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Chupak and [?], having left their
families and the igloos of the winter camp

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are coming into the post to trade.

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They look forward to a mug-up of tea and
pilot biscuits at the traders\' house.

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The two Eskimos admire the
wooden buildings of the white man,

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but for their own dwelling,
they will build an igloo.

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First, [?], the elder of the
two, selects a suitable site.

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With his probe, he tests the snow.

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It must be hard-packed and yet
not so hard that it will not cut.

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It must not be layered with streaks
of soft snow that would cause it

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to break in handling, and there
must be sufficient good snow

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in one place to provide all the
building material for his igloo.

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This isn\'t always as easy as it
seems, for the average snowfall

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of the Arctic is less than in
the temperate regions of Canada.

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Like all good architects, they use
the material found around them.

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The snow will be both bricks and mortar.

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Packed hard by the constant
wind, it can be cut by a snow knife

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or ordinary handsaw into
blocks of any size or shape.

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The first blocks are cut
from a rectangular trench,

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which often serves as the entrance
tunnel to the completed igloo.

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A row of heel marks is sometimes used as
a baseline for the first row of blocks.

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The igloo must be nearly circular.

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Otherwise, when a construction nears
the top, the wall will collapse.

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From a lifetime of living with
it, the Eskimo knows his snow.

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Providing it is of good quality, he
can build the igloo entirely from snow

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found within the circle of the walls.

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Since the blocks are taken from
inside the circle, the actual floor

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of the igloo will be the depth of one block
below the surface of the snow outside.

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After the first row has
been erected, the cut to form

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the sloping surface is made.

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The next row starts on this slope
and the upward spiral begins.

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When building an igloo for an overnight
shelter, the Eskimo works quickly,

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but for a more permanent dwelling, he takes
his time fitting each block carefully to

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the previous one and to the one below.

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A single Eskimo can build an overnight igloo
in 40 minutes or he can spend two days

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constructing a large comfortable
dwelling for himself and his family.

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The Eskimo is a nomad.

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His need is for a temporary home,
but who knows how long he will stay?

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His home gets dirty, he moves
out and builds a new one.

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If hunting is bad, he
goes off in search of food,

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building his new house
where game is plentiful.

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The Eskimo builds his home around
him, always working from the inside.

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He has cut the first row of blocks
so as to have a slight inward lean,

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which will gradually become more
acute as the walls grow higher.

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Being right-handed, Chupak works
in an anti-clockwise direction.

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Left-handed Eskimos build
in the opposite direction.

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As the inward lean becomes more
acute, greater care must be taken

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in fitting the blocks together.

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The edges of each block are
beveled so that it gains support from

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the previous one and
from the one below.

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Blocks will vary in size,
but are usually about

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3 feet by 2 feet
by 4 inches thick.

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Gradually, the spiral design
and the inward lean of the blocks

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produces the familiar
rounded beehive shape.

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This rounded shape is another
excellent example of good use

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of the fundamental
laws of architecture.

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Engineers and architects have found
no better way of building an igloo.

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It has no corners and no waste space.

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Although the temperature is 40
below, the exertion of building

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causes both Eskimos to perspire
freely within the snow walls of

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their almost completed igloo.

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Setting the last few blocks
in place is a ticklish job.

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Unless well-fitted, they
could easily fall in.

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The Eskimo\'s only construction
tool is his snow knife.

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He uses it for cutting the blocks,
shaping them, and fitting them together.

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Originally, it was made of
bone or ivory, but now he buys

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a steel one from the trader
for about the value of a fox skin.

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Still using snow from inside the
igloo, the last block is shoved out

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through the narrow
opening and trimmed to fit.

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Not until this key block is inserted
and fitted like the keystone of an arch

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will the igloo take its final strength.

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After it has been completed, the
warmth of the inside combined

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with the wind on the outside will
cement the blocks firmly together.

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The igloo will be strong enough
to support a man\'s weight,

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although a sharp blow the fist
might punch a hole in the snow wall.

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Like the man who paints
himself into a corner,

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the Eskimo has built
himself into his house.

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Cutting his way out, he forms
the doorway of the igloo.

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The last construction job is chinking.

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All cracks on the outer
surface are plugged with snow

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so that no drafts
can reach the interior.

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It has taken the two Eskimos
one and a half hours to build

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their igloo for the night.

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Caribou sleeping robes and extra
skins to cover the sleeping platform

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provide perfect insulation
against the cold snow.

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[?] and Chupak settle snugly inside
using a snow block to close the door,

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a hole in the roof serves as a ventilator
and heat control, while fresh air

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comes from a small hole near the door.

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The short daylight hours of the
Arctic winter draw to a close.

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After a meal of frozen fish or walrus,
the dogs bed down for the night,

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nose buried under tail, thick
coats protecting them from the cold,

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each in his chosen spot on the snow.

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\"Igloo [?],\" says

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[?].
\"It is warm.

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This is my home.\"

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[music]