III.6: INUIT CLOTHING/SHELTER 6. House Building ~ People of the Arctic by John Tyman

Bill Hillman's
EduTech Research Project
Presents
John Tyman's
INUIT ~ People of the Arctic
Unit III: INUIT: CLOTHING AND SHELTER
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Part: House Building

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90. Building materials are shipped in on the barge which services coastal communities in late summer (the only time when coastal waters are navigable). These are stored near the dock to await the spring.	91. The houses are built by contractors from southern Canada, who bring in tradesmen but also use local unskilled labour.. .


92. Thick fibre-glass insulation is used in the walls and ceilings, and ... .	93. The windows are double-glazed with a vacuum seal between to reduce loss of heat to the outside..


94. Floors are raised above ground on metal posts in holes drilled into the permafrost. (Otherwise heat escaping through the floor will melt the subsoil and the building will collapse.)	95. Older homes were set on blocks, on beds of gravel -- allowing cold air to circulate beneath the house. .


96. Electricity, from a local diesel-powered generator, is used for lighting and appliances but oil is used for heating. .	97. As pipes cannot be laid underground, water is delivered by tanker as and when required -- typically every second or third day..


98. Another tanker (also summoned by phone) takes away the waste water held in a small well-insulated tank under the floor.	99. Because it is nearly dark even at mid-day in winter people keep their lights on. The chimneys carry the fumes from the oil-fired furnaces..

100. In fact it is so warm inside that clothes are not necessary if you are young.
The polar bear skin on the floor and the electric stove and TV
suggest a people living in two different worlds at the same time.

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CONTENTS PAGE

I. Environment: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

II. Food Sources: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

III: Clothing/Shelter: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

IV. Family: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

V. Community 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

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Text, photos and recordings by John Tyman
Intended for Educational Use Only.
Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford University, 2008.
Contact Dr. John Tyman for more information regarding licensing.