Dwellings 



57 



The early explorers found stone huts on the islands of the Parry archipelago 

 similar to those that are still used by the natives of Smith sound.^ Mr. Stefans- 

 son discovered one of these huts near the mouth of the Kimiryuak river, but his 

 Copper Eskimo companion was afraid to let him enter it — ^why I do not know, 

 since other natives have frequently been inside.^ Captain Bernard found 

 another on Bell island not far from the ruins of the wood and sod houses of the 

 western natives; he excavated the floor to the depth of about a foot, but found 

 nothing but stones and a few seal-bones. Larger than either of these, according 

 to the natives, is a stone hut at Tutukok, near Lady Franklin point. I was 

 not able to examine any of these huts, but visited one on the top of Kikigarnak 

 hill behind Locker point. In shape it resembled a truncated cone, built of 

 flat slabs of dolomite laid roughly one on top of another. Its height was about 

 6 feet, while the inside diameter diminished gradually from 4 feet 6 inches at 

 the bottom to 2 feet 6 inches at the top. There was a small door facing WSW., 

 2 feet 6 inches high and 1 foot 6 inches wide, the bottom being raised 1 foot 

 4 inches above the level of the floor. From an architectural point of view the 

 most interesting feature was the use of the cantilever principle in closing 

 the roof.' The space to be covered was roughly circular, with a diameter of a 





^i.-^^'«*rr'^ "'*^t 



Fig. U. Old stone hut near Locker point 



little more than two feet. Apparently no sngle slab to hand was large enough, 

 so the builders used several smaller slabs instead. Two sufiiced to cover about 

 half the space on the south side; another was laid over the northern segment, 

 resting on the wall, and the interspace was filled in with two overlapping slabs. 

 Both the roof and the sides had many chinks and openings through which the 

 wind and rain could enter. A rude flooring had been laid with slabs of dolomite, 

 and near the doorway, close to the outer walls, were two stone rings where some 

 Eskimos had evidently set up their tents in shelter from the east wind. About 

 fifteen yards to the northwest was a pillar of seven or eight dolomite slabs laid 

 one on top of another, though with what object it is hard to imagine.' Elsewhere, 



iSee C. R. Markham, p. 169 ei s'q. 



2My Life with the Eskimo, p. 274 etseq— 288; Anthrop. Papers, A.M.N.H., Vol. XIV, pt. I, p. 297 



sCf. Peary. The Secrets of Polar Travel, 1917, pp. 136-7. 



