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Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 



1915 one man set up his tent at the end of February; but this was exceptionally 

 early, and no one followed his example till the latter half of March. In the 

 following year the winter was very severe and spring began rather late; no one 

 dreamed of moving out of a snow-hut till the beginning of April. During the 

 first week of that month there were three settlements within twenty miles of 

 Bernard harbour. One, twelve miles east, consisted of five snow-huts and one 

 tent. The second, between the two eastern islands of the Liston and Sutton 

 group, had nine tents and only one snow-hut; the latter belonged to two little 

 girls, who had induced some boys to build it for them that they might play at 

 housekeeping. The third settlement was twenty miles west of the Liston 

 and Sutton islands and consisted of snow-huts only, sixteen in number. 



The spring tent of a prosperous Eskimo is very heavy, both on account of 

 its size and from the weight of the deerskins of which it is composed. Skins 

 and poles together weigh upwards of seventy pounds, and occupy a good deal 

 of space on the sled. The tent is as large as, often larger than, a good-sized 

 snow-hut, that is to say it will measure perhaps 15 feet from front to back, 

 with a maximum breadth of 11 feet and a height of about 7 feet. Ten or twelve 

 poles support the ridge-pole, and short sticks, snow-beaters, walking-sticks, 

 etc., poked in behind the poles keep the tent stretched taut. The four or five 

 poles at the far end, which are lashed together at the end. of the ridge-pole, 

 give it a semi-circular back. While the man is fastening these together, his 

 wife will lash two others to the front end of the ridge-pole, leaving a triangular 

 opening. The other poles are then ranged along the sides, leaning against the 

 ridge-pole without being lashed, and the tent is drawn all round the frame, 

 encircling it on the back and sides and half closing up the front. 



Fig. 26. The frame of a spring tent 



The woman now laces the tent along the ridge-pole and halfway down the 

 front, while the husband anchors it securely around the bottom with stones or 

 blocks of snow. If the weather is still cold, and the snow is suitable, a low 

 snow wall is first erected and the tent poles planted on top. Then a foot or 

 so outside it another low wall is made all round and the interspace filled with 

 soft loose snow. Into this the edges of the tent are pegged, and more loose 

 snow is stamped over it to keep out any draught. Finally, on top, are placed 

 the bags of clothing and other articles that are not required inside the tent. 



The front of the tent is now broad and gaping, but the sleeping platform 

 must be arranged before it is closed up, the table and lamp and drying rack 

 set up on snow-blocks, and the bedding and household utensils passed inside. 

 After this is done a short passage of snow-blocks is iDuilt as in the case of an 

 ordinary hut. Sometimes the passage is made before the goods are passed 



