CONSTRUCTION OF THE SNOW HOUf 



541 



makes a bench on wliich lie steps while finishing the upper part of 

 the building. 



The plan of a snow house of the Davis Strait tribes is a little dif- 

 ferent from that of the Hudson Bay and the Iglulik tribes. 



I shall first describe the former according to my own observations 

 (Figs. 491:^1492). 



The entrance to the main building 

 is formed by two, or less frequently 

 by three, small vaults. The first one 

 (uadling) is a small dome about six 

 feet in height, with a door two and a 

 half feet in height; the second one 

 is a long passage of equal height 

 formed by an elliptical vault (igdlu- 

 ling). Its roof is generally arched, 

 but sometimes the top is cut off 

 evenly and covered with slabs of 

 snow. Both vaults together form 

 the entrance and are called toqsung. 

 A door about three feet high leads 

 into the main room, the floor of 

 which is about nine inches above 

 that of the former. Two very small 

 vaults are always attached to the 

 whole building (Fig. 491). One is 

 situated alongside of the uadling and 

 the igdluling, and serve,? as a store- 

 room for clothing and harness (sir- 

 dloang) . It is not connected with the 

 interior of the hut, but one of the 

 blocks of the vault can be taken out 

 and is made to serve as a lid. On 

 the left side of the entrance of the 

 main building is another small vault 

 (igdluarn), which is accessible from 

 the main building. It serves for keeping spare meat and blubber. 

 Frequently there is a second igdluarn on the opposite side, and some- 

 times even a third one in the igdluling. Another appendix of the 

 main building is frequently used, the audlitiving (Fig. 491 and 

 Fig. 493 c). It is a vault similar to the sirdloang and is attached to 

 the back of the main room. It serves for storing up meat for future 

 use. 



Directly over the entrance a window is cut through the wall, either 

 square or more frequently forming an arch, which is generally cov- 

 ered with the intestines of ground seals, neatly sewed together, the 



