Dwellings 



69 



built as contiguous circles, a small arc of each being left uncovered to form a 

 common forecourt and afterwards roofed over with a dome as in Byzantine 

 architecture. The dance-house, which is usually built over a two-roomed 

 house, is made in exactly the same way, only the dome is much larger, and the 

 roof in consequehce higher, so that the builders have to stand on bags to finish 

 it. In Aksiatak's double house an ice window was let into the side of the dome 

 so that it lit up both the forecourt and Aksiatak's room; a similar window was 

 set in the front of Hitkok's room. At the bottom of the forecourt wall, imme- 

 diately below the window, was the low arched doorway, cut in one of the snow- 

 blocks with a single sweep of the knife. One entered on hands and knees; so 

 narrow in fact was the doorway that a person rather bigger than the average 

 had some difficulty in squeezing through. Half-way along its length the passage 

 broadened, and here was kept the snowshovel, as well as one or two other things 



Fig. 18. Two houses built in oollaboration, with a single passage for both 



which could not conveniently be brought into the house, and would not be 

 damaged by the dogs. The passage then made a sharp curve before issuing out 

 into the open air, so that its mouth, being directed northward, would drift up 

 less easily under the prevailing east and west winds. One day, however, a 

 north wind arose, and Aksiatak had to extend his passage so that it opened 

 towards another point of the compass, a task he performed in a very few minutes. 

 Various sticks, harpoons, etc., were planted upright in the walls around the out- 

 side of the house, and bales of clothing were laid on top of the outer rampart. 

 The dimensions of the two rooms were as follows : — 



