60 Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 



which to shelter the dogs made the diameter of his first tier far too great, so 

 that instead of his walls approaching in a perfect Byzantine dome, they mounted 

 skywards almost to a cone. A more skilful workman might have made a sym- 

 metrical dome despite the diameter, but the. art of building sHow-huts is fast 

 dying out amongst the western natives. 



The critical stage in the building of a snow hut comes with the second tier, 

 for then the spiral form commences and judgment and experience are required 

 to know at what place to begin. The younger men often seek the advice of 

 their elders; and I have seen even an old woman correct a youth and show him 

 where to begin his coil. Often the spiral form is barely noticeable when the 

 hut is finished, and one has the impression that the blocks are set up anyhow. 

 The neatest workmen make their blocks rectangular, and lay them so that the 

 joints will come in steps, no block falling exactly over the one below. As each 

 is laid in place the knife is run along the joints and the block punched sharply 

 on the top to fit it tightly against its neighbours. Thus the builder follows 

 round his spiral, curving gradually inwards till only a small opening remains 

 above. The final stage is the most critical of all, for the roof will collapse if 

 made too flat, and part of the structure may cave in from an accidental knock, 

 or the unskilful jointing of a block. The joints are therefore bevelled, but 

 even so it is sometimes necessary to hold one block up with the hand till it is 

 wedged securely by the next. The keystone requires skilful handling. It is 

 roughly trimmed to shape, then pushed up through the opening in the roof 

 and gently lowered from above. The left hand poises it above the hole, while 

 with the right the builder trims its edges and those of the blocks against which 

 it sets.' 



The structure is now complete, but many chinks and gaps remain where 

 the blocks fit imperfectly together. These must be closed from without, if 

 the housewife has not already done this after making her rampart. Small 

 blocks of hard snow are jammed into the larger gaps, and all the joints are 

 filled with soft snow, which acts like mortar and cements the blocks together. 

 It matters little if a few chinks still remain on top, for the warmth inside the 

 hut sets a current of air flowing upwards and outside; but unless the lower 

 wall is tight the house will be very draughty and uncomfortable. This cannot 

 happen as long as an outer rampart is built all round, but the temporary hut 

 for one night's occupation only has usually no such rampart; instead, soft 

 snow is packed tightly round the base of the lower tier, and into all the joints. 



Not every hut is built so carefully. Sometimes the shape is oval, the 

 length much greater than the breadth. Then the side walls are gradually 

 brought together till a row of longer blocks laid across like beams will close 

 the roof. But this is a very slovenly way of building. More often the hut is 

 dome-shaped, but the blocks are entirely unsymmetrical, being set up in any 

 manner so long as they hold together. The spiral form is then quite absent, 

 although the same care is still required in beginning the second tier. Even the 

 rule that no joint should come directly above the one below is not adhered to, 

 and the joints come anywhere. This in fact is the usual form of hut, and the 

 perfect dome built with symmetrical blocks arranged in a continuous spiral 

 which earher writers have so consistently depicted is of very rare occurrence. 

 In fact not every native has the necessary skill to make it, besides which it 

 requires more time and labour. But every man can build a snow-hut of some 

 kind or another, and must indeed at the end of each day's journey that he makes 

 in winter. He may have travelled many miles, dragging a heavy sled, and 

 darkness is almost upon him before he begins his hut; naturally, then, he is 

 much too tired to care about its shape so long as it provides his family and 

 himself with a comfortable shelter for the night. 



The hut that we were describing was complete indeed, but it had neither 

 furniture nor door. If snow-blocks from without were used in building it there 



