74 



Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 



All the snow-huts among the Copper Eskimos were of one or other of thes e 

 types. The particular form adopted by any family depended on various con- 

 siderations, the two most important being the amount of snow available and 

 the size of the family. Less space was naturally required where there were 

 no children and a medium-sized hut could conveniently serve two famihes; 

 besides, with two lamps it could be kept more comfortable, especially when 

 fuel was scarce. Again two families that had not seen each other for some 



Fig. 23. A three-roomed dwelling with a dance-house 



time naturally liked to be together, so they would make their rooms con- 

 tiguous or join their passages.' The arrangements in one settlement were 

 seldom followed in the next. As each family reached the camping-place the 

 -man would choose his site, and those who came up later would have to search 

 round for themselves. Sometimes two would decide to build together before 

 they started out, sometimes not until they chose their sites. It was rare for 

 twp families that lived together in one settlement to stay together in the next, 

 apparently because they had tired of each other's company and were anxious 

 for a change. Where two families shared a single room, each as a rule kept 

 to its o<wn side of the hut, though there was never anything to mark a division 

 between them. 



'Mr. Stefanason (Anthrop. Papers, A.M.N. H., Vol. XIV, pt. I, p. 293) says, "I was told that usually, 

 but not always, double houses are built by those who are in the habit of exchanging wives." It is true 

 that they do sometimes build double or two-roomed houses in such cases, but just as often they live in 

 feparate huts, and a two-roomed house in itself raises no presumption of wife-exchange. 



