The Igloo Built by the Elders

On March 15th, the elders in Inukjuak built some igloos and invited the community to come up and play games and have a feast. When I arrived at the site, I could not believe my eyes. Our little igloo looked like a shack in comparison to this mansion igloo. It was 3 igloos attached together to make a multichambered home. Even the dogs had a passageway to a small separate igloo for them. They built an entrance wall leading up to the front entrance, and a window on the top of the igloo made out of thick ice. They even had a ventilation stack!!!

Inside the biggest chamber of the igloo, they had dug out the floor and put in 2 by 4wood planks, so that you could sit with your feet dangling. Then the sleeping area was covered with cardboard, tarps and animal skins. They had a contraption build out of wood in order to hang clothes out to dry. And a coleman stove was heating water for tea.

It was great to see the elders teaching the young members of the community about their roots. I think it is sad that there is suck a loss of culture and tradition in this community. The elders have so much to teach the young, but the children seem interested only in soda, chips and video games.

Out side of the igloos, there were dog teams pulling sled rides, and soccer!!!! In the snow!!!

It was a great day, and the temperature was a still minus 30- no wind. It actually felt warm. I had my snow goose jacket wide open I felt so warm!!!