How to build an iglu
Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services
Iqaluit (May 07/01) - One of the most pleasurable treasures in the Arctic is the iglu.
Nothing is as lovely as the interior of an iglu made bright by candlelight.
Nothing -- not even caribou meat or spring in the Arctic -- compares to the gorgeous glow the flame casts on the snow walls.
Gushing sentiment aside, the iglu is also one of the most ingenious tools of survival designed by Inuit. The circular structure stands up to the Arctic's gusting winds and provides warmth that will never be found in a North Face tent.
All that said, the most crucial aspect when building an iglu is where it should be built. Location, as they say, is everything.
"We have to be careful where we build it because if it's too low (on a hill) and a storm comes, we'll be under the snow," said Louie Bruce, a hunter and trapper from Coral Harbour.
The second step, he said, is to ensure the snow in the area is just right -- not too hard-packed nor too soft-packed -- and made of one solid layer.
"We used to use a harpoon or a steel rod to see if it was one layer," said Bruce. "You want that as much as possible, otherwise when you pick the blocks up, they will crack in half."
Using a hand-saw or a long knife, blocks are cut with a slight curve, are about 15 cm wide, stand about 45 cm high and are roughly 76 cm long.
While the size of the iglu varies depending on how many people will sleep in it and how long they'll use it for, Bruce said the bottom rings of blocks -- those that make up the foundation -- are the most important.
"The trick is to get it built as soon as possible so you can rest," said Bruce.
"Some people can do it in less than half an hour."
Learning the very essential survival skill from an uncle, Bruce said each iglu builder develops a personal style and technique and that it was the person who cut the blocks, not who shaped the iglu, who did the actual building.
He also referred to the traditional Inuit custom of a man not being ready for marriage until he could build an iglu for his woman.
"They were afraid that you would get married and would be out somewhere and you couldn't build an iglu," explained Bruce.
He did not however, insist the same of his own son-in-law (who does incidentally, know how to build an iglu).
"Now you just want to make sure he's not taking drugs or anything like that."
