Yellowknife (Feb 13/06) - An elder from Arctic Bay built a large iglu on the frozen surface of Yellowknife Bay in the NWT capital last week.

Aimo Muckpaloo takes a break from working on an iglu he is building on Yellowknife Bay with his grandson, 10-year-old Herzon Muckpaloo. - Daron Letts/NNSL photo

Aimo Muckpaloo carved the blocks and assembled the approximately three-metre-wide structure with help from three young men in his family: Colin Mackay, Euan Muckpaloo and Hezron Muckpaloo.

They used a large knife and a variety of saws to carve the blocks and fit them into place. The process took a few days.

Mackay and his fiance, Denise Poirier, plan to spend a night in the iglu after Aimo's wife, Koonoo, traditionally arranges the interior.

Euan said he hopes to develop the skills to build an iglu on his own.

Aimo learned to make iglus by watching his older brother and father every winter growing up. He stopped making them regularly in the 1960s. This is the first iglu he's worked on in a couple of decades.

The Muckpaloo iglu will be viewed by visitors to Yellowknife's annual SnowKing winter festival, which runs from March 1-31. The event features a hotel made of snow and activities such as the Frozen Dog Film Festival and the Block 100 Rock and Roll Bash.

Aimo moved to Yellowknife to be closer to his daughter, Igah Muckpaloo, and for better access to medical care.