Yaranga
Igloo
How did they keep warm at night? They constructed igloos - or domed structures made of snow. Most of us have heard of them and even tried to build one in our backyards, but the origin of the igloo starts long before, in the northern reaches of Canada.
Unique to the Inuit people, historians believe that the igloo was first developed by migrating hunters. It was originally used as a windbreak and eventually closed in to create a shelter. These first igloos were temporary, as the hunters settled for a day or two before leaving to follow the migrating herds of caribou. As the Inuit settled, they began to construct larger, more permanent igloos.
Often several families would join together, building separate igloos for their immediate families and one large igloo to enclose the smaller ones!
Although many of us have attempted to construct one, the art of building an igloo takes practice. It is not simply a matter of stacking snow, but rather a keen understanding of geometry, load distribution and snow characteristics. This technical understanding was not taught in school but rather learned out of necessity. Now are you ready to build one?
How to construct an igloo:
Step 1. Find a suitable spot Need a hard field of snow, hard enough to build snow blocks and at least three feet deep.
Step 2. Prepare the blocks of snow With your snow saw (or knife), cut blocks of snow - fifty of them. They must be large enough for the base of the igloo and strong enough to not crumble.
Step 3. Build Smooth the edge of each snow-block and arrange them in a circle with each block at an angle. They must lean inward, toward the middle of the igloo, or you will start building a high-rise with no roof! Leave an entrance by placing two snow-blocks vertically, with one resting over the top - it may look to small to be a doorway, but you'll dig out the rest of the snow later. Dig out the floor of the igloo if you'd like more headroom, and clear out the snow that's fallen inside before it is closed in.
Step 4. The finishing work Now that your igloo is standing upright and fully closed, you need to seal it up. Fill all of those cracks and gaps with snow and smaller blocks to keep the wind out. Then it is time to smooth the inside walls, haul out the extra snow, and finish the entrance.
Step 5. Let it breathe Even though it's cold and windy outside, the igloo will warm from your body heat on the inside. You must create a vent in the roof, letting that hot air escape. Without this, warm, suffocating and lethal carbon dioxide will accumulate inside.
Source courtesy of: www.umanitoba.ca/manitoban/20030212/features_4.shtml
Photo courtesy of: www.iramarlowe.com/eskimo.html
