April 10, 2014
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I is for Iglu and Inuksuk
Continuing on my arctic theme would like to share my photos of some of the traditional structures of the Inuit culture.
An igloo (Inuit language: iglu, or plural: igluit ) Inuit word “iglu” means means “house” and is built in a spiral shape using the snow from the inside of the circle out.
Cutting tools required to build an igloo are a snow spade and a saw, but in traditional times these implements would have been fashioned from bone. Note how the entrance is dug deep enough to allow almost standing height. 
By trapping body heat, or the heat produced by even a small burning lamp, the inside of the igloo can stay much warmer than the outside...
This heat starts to melt the inside of the igloo and as the inside walls of the igloo start to melt, they become more solid.
My own experience has never been to overnight in an igloo but only to visit
( and crawl inside where they are surprisingly warm )….watching igloo building contests,
a x-c ski with a friend who had built one outside of Kugluktuk and visiting one built by an elder lady in Gjoa Haven.An inuksuk (plural inuksuit) inukshuk in English or inukhuk in Inuinnaqtun, is a stone landmark.
These mysterious stone figures known can be found throughout the circumpolar world. 
Inukshuk, the singular of inuksuit, means "in the likeness of a human" in the Inuit language. They are monuments made of unworked stones that are used by the Inuit for communication and survival, markers for travel routes, fishing places, camps, hunting grounds, places of veneration, drift fences used in hunting or to mark a food cache.
An inukshuk in the form of a human being is called an inunnguaq
or Innunguak, the ones that are shaped like men.
This type of structure forms the basis of the logo of the 2010 Winter Olympics, designed by Vancouver artist Elena Rivera MacGregor.
The flag of Nunavut
was proclaimed on 1 April 1999, along with the territory of Nunavut in Canada.
It features a red inuksuk—an Inuit land marker—and a blue star, which represents the Niqirtsuituq, the North Star, and the leadership of elders in the community.An excellent video with Peter Irniq explains more details.
Comments (5)
I love this series -- a true glimpse into life in the far north! Are igloos used for long-term, or more as shelter in time of need while out hunting/fishing?
Traditionally Janet as winter shelter when travelling, more often these days as I mentioned either as igloo building contests,skills for the schools or as tourist attractions.
When I was a child, I always wanted to build an igloo, but I lived in Florida. haha
The stone structures that look like men remind me of pagodas.
Fascinating. This post makes me rethink the whole isolation theme in "Frankenstein," which I'm currently teaching. Also, I teach both general speech and a dual enrollment communication course and am always looking for interesting topics to suggest to students. I'm saving your blog and looking forward to future posts. via A to Z Challenge
Thanks for stopping by and your thoughtful comments!
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