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Concept
Igloo
Summary
An igloo (Inuit languages: iglu, Inuktitut syllabics ᐃᒡᓗ iɣˈlu (plural: igluit ᐃᒡᓗᐃᑦ iɣluˈit)), also known as a snow house or snow hut, is a type of shelter built of suitable snow.
Although igloos are often associated with all Inuit, they were traditionally used only by the people of Canada's Central Arctic and the Qaanaaq area of Greenland. Other Inuit tended to use snow to insulate their houses, which were constructed from whalebone and hides.
Snow is used because the air pockets trapped in it make it an insulator. On the outside, temperatures may be as low as , but on the inside, the temperature may range from when warmed by body heat alone.
In the Inuit languages the word iglu (plural igluit) can be used for a house or home built of any material. The word is not restricted exclusively to snowhouses (called specifically igluvijaq, plural igluvijait), but includes traditional tents, sod houses, homes constructed of driftwood and modern buildings. Outside Inuit culture, however, igloo refers exclusively to shelters constructed from blocks of compacted snow, generally in the form of a dome.
Several Inuit language dialects throughout the Canadian Arctic (Siglitun, Inuinnaqtun, Natsilingmiutut, Kivalliq, North Baffin) use iglu for all buildings, including snowhouses, and it is the term used by the Government of Nunavut. An exception to this is the dialect used in the Igloolik region of Nunavut. Iglu is used for other buildings, while igluvijaq, (plural igluvijait, Inuktitut syllabics: ᐃᒡᓗᕕᔭᖅ) is specifically used for a snowhouse.
There are three traditional types of igloos. Each has a different size from small to large and is used for a different purpose.
The smallest-sized igloos are constructed as temporary shelters. They are usually used for one or two nights, and therefore, are easier to build. On rare occasions these small types of igloos are used during hunting trips which are often on open sea ice.
Intermediate-sized igloos were for semi-permanent, family dwelling. This was usually a single room dwelling that housed one or two families.
Official source
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