Igloos

Homes were made of stone and earth. They were built partially underground. Whale ribs sometimes supported the roof. Temporary winter hunting lodges called igloos were made from snow and ice. The Inuit formed a circular foundation of ice blocks. They stacked smaller blocks to create a dome at the top. A small hole was left for ventilation. Gaps in the ice blocks were filled with soft snow and the inside was lined with furs.

Igloo is the Inuit word for shelter. Igloos are shaped like a dome with a tunnel entrance to trap cold air. Igloos are often made of hard blocks of snow. Igloos never really lasted long. They don't need to, because the Inuit travel a lot and igloos are easy to build.

Here's how Inuits make an igloo.

1. Inuits often find ledges or cliffs to form a windbreak.

2. When they find a suitable place, the Inuits cut the shape of the base of the igloo in the snow.

3. They cut a wegde-shaped block at what would be the front of the entrance. This block is not used.

4. Then the building blocks are cut from that. The blocks are 2 to 3 feet wide.

5. The blocks are set in a spiral pattern. The blocks diagonally to start the spiral pattern.

6. After the dome is finished, a hole is poked in the top, the entrance is cut, and sometimes a window is made from a clear slab of ice.

7. Then it is time to make the tunnel entrance.

8. Inside a platform is made to sleep and eat on.

Eskimos used seal oil lamps for heat and light. Another thing that kept the igloo warm was the tunnel entrance for trapping cold air. There were shelves cut into the wall and sealskins covered the inside. The raised platform was used for eating and sleeping. The ''kitchen'' was a square hole with hot coals or fire with a rack and net above the hole. The net is for drying clothes and the rack is for cooking food.

1. What were igloos made out of?

2. Where were the igloos built?

3. Explain what the inside of an igloo looks like?

4. What does the word igloo mean in Inuit?

5. What can the igloo tell us about Inuit culture?