{{Short description|Type of shelter built of snow}} {{Other uses}} [[File:Igloos.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Community of ''igluit'' (Illustration from Charles Francis Hall's ''Arctic Researches and Life Among the Esquimaux'', 1865)]] An '''igloo''' (Inuit languages: {{lang|iu-Latn|iglu}} or {{lang|ka|illu}},{{efn|Iglu is used throughout the Inuvialuit Settlement Region and Nunavut. Illu is used in Nunavik (Arctic Quebec), Nunatsiavut (Labrador), and Greenland.<ref name="iglu">{{cite web |url=https://cjns.brandonu.ca/wp-content/uploads/1-2-dorais.pdf |title=A Few Thoughts on the Language of the Inuit |page=308 |first1=Louis-Jacques |last1=Dorais |access-date=1 December 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://inuinnaqtun.ca/resources/inuinnaqtun-to-english-dictionary/ |title=Inuinnaqtun to English Dictionary |first1=Gwen |last1=Ohokak |first2=Margo |last2=Kadlun |first3=Betty |last3=Harnum |date=5 October 2022 |access-date=1 December 2025 |publisher=Nunavut Arctic College |page=31}}</ref>}} Inuktitut syllabics {{lang|iu|ᐃᒡᓗ}} {{IPA|iu|iɣˈlu|}}; plural: {{lang|iu-Latn|igluit}} {{lang|iu|ᐃᒡᓗᐃᑦ}} {{IPA|iu|iɣluˈit|}}), also known as a '''snow house''' or '''snow hut''', is a type of shelter built of suitable snow.
Although igloos are often associated with all Inuit, they were traditionally used only by the people of Canada's Central Arctic and the Qaanaaq area of Greenland. Other Inuit tended to use snow to insulate their houses, which were constructed from whalebone and hides.
Snow is used because the air pockets trapped in it make it an insulator. Known as the igloo effect, on the outside, temperatures may be as low as {{convert|-45|C}}, but on the inside, the temperature may range from {{convert|-7|to|16|C}} when warmed by body heat alone.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dspace.library.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/125/2/Igloo.pdf |title=How Warm is an Igloo?, BEE453 Spring 2003 (PDF) |access-date=2012-07-10 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120417111111/http://dspace.library.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/125/2/Igloo.pdf |archive-date=2012-04-17 }}</ref>
==Nomenclature== [[File:Inuit-Igloo P.png|thumb|Inuit building an igloo (1924)]]
In the Inuit languages, the word {{lang|iu-Latn|iglu}} (plural {{lang|iu-Latn|igluit}}) can be used for a house or home built of any material.<ref name="iglu"/> The word is not restricted exclusively to snowhouses (called specifically {{lang|iu-Latn|igluvijaq}}, plural {{lang|iu-Latn|igluvijait}}), but includes traditional tents, sod houses, homes constructed of driftwood and modern buildings.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic45-2-199.pdf |title=The Mackenzie Inuit Winter House |access-date=2012-07-10 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401150444/http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic45-2-199.pdf |archive-date=2012-04-01 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ucalgary.ca/~rmlevy/Thule/Documents/Visual%20Studies%20Final%20Copy.pdf |title=Reconstructing traditional Inuit house forms using three-dimensional interactive computer modelling |access-date=2012-07-10 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326084824/http://www.ucalgary.ca/~rmlevy/Thule/Documents/Visual%20Studies%20Final%20Copy.pdf |archive-date=2009-03-26 }}</ref> Outside Inuit culture, however, ''igloo'' refers exclusively to shelters constructed from blocks of compacted snow, generally in the form of a dome.<ref>{{cite web |title=Definition: Igloo |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/igloo |website=Cambridge dictionary}}</ref>
Several Inuit language dialects throughout the Canadian Arctic (Sallirmiutun (Siglitun), Inuinnaqtun, Natsilingmiutut, Kivalliq, North Baffin) use {{lang|iu-Latn|iglu}} for all buildings, including snowhouses, and it is the term used by the government of Nunavut.<ref name="iglu" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gov.nu.ca/en/Flag.aspx |title=About the Flag and Coat of Arms |publisher=Gov.nu.ca |date=1999-04-01 |access-date=2012-07-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307115642/http://www.gov.nu.ca/en/Flag.aspx |archive-date=2013-03-07 }}</ref><ref>''Inuinnaqtun English Dictionary''. Cambridge Bay, Nunavut: Nunavut Arctic College, 1996.</ref> An exception to this is the dialect used in the Igloolik region of Nunavut. {{lang|iu-Latn|Iglu}} is used for other buildings, while {{lang|iu-Latn|igluvijaq}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.livingdictionary.com/term/viewTerm.jsp?term=49132637880 |title=Igluvijaq |work=Asuilaak Living Dictionary |access-date=2011-06-29 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> (plural {{lang|iu-Latn|igluvijait}}, Inuktitut syllabics: {{lang|iu|ᐃᒡᓗᕕᔭᖅ}}) is specifically used for a snowhouse.
==Types== thumb|Interior of an igloo (early 1900s)
There are three traditional types of igloos. Each has a different size from small to large and is used for a different purpose.<ref name=iglootce/><ref name=polarp/>
The smallest-sized igloos are constructed as temporary shelters. They are usually used for one or two nights. On rare occasions, these small types of igloos are used during hunting trips which are often on open sea ice.<ref name=iglootce/><ref name=polarp/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/21/world/canada/igloos-inuit-arctic-canada.html |title=A Lost Art in the Arctic: Igloo Making|first1=Craig S.|last1=Smith|website=The New York Times |date=June 21, 2017}}</ref>
Intermediate-sized igloos were for semi-permanent, family dwelling. This was usually a single room dwelling that housed one or two families. Often there were several of these in a small area, which formed an Inuit village.<ref name=iglootce>{{cite web|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/igloo |title=Igloo|access-date=January 22, 2024|publisher=The Canadian Encyclopedia|date=April 24, 2020|first1=René R.|last1=Gadacz}}</ref><ref name=polarp>{{cite web|url=https://polarpedia.eu/en/igloo/ |title=Igloo|publisher=Polarpedia|access-date=January 22, 2024|first1=Anna|last1=Wielgopolan |date=6 May 2018 }}</ref>
The largest-sized igloos were normally built in groups of two. One of the buildings was a temporary structure built for special occasions, while the other one was built nearby for living. These large igloos could have up to five rooms and house 20 people. A large igloo could be constructed from several smaller igloos attached by their tunnels, giving common access to the outside. These large igloos were used to hold community feasts and traditional dances.<ref name=iglootce/><ref name=polarp/>
==Construction== thumb|thumbtime=175|Film clip of the construction of an igloo from beginning to end (1922)
Snow igloos are not spherical, but are built in a catenary, a curved shape more closely resembling a paraboloid. Using this shape, the stresses of snow as it ages and compresses are less likely to cause it to buckle because in an inverted paraboloid or catenoid, the pressures are nearer to being exclusively compressive.<ref name=handy>{{cite journal|last1=Handy|first1=Richard L.|title=The Igloo and the Natural Bridge as Ultimate Structures|journal=Arctic|date=Dec 1973|volume=26|issue=4|pages=276–277|url=http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic26-4-276.pdf|publisher=Arctic Institute of North America|doi=10.14430/arctic2926|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304201726/http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic26-4-276.pdf|archive-date=2016-03-04}}</ref>
The individual snow bricks are cut out of the ground with saws and machete-like blades. They are originally cut out in a four-sided shape, and later into five- or six-sided shapes to increase structural interlocking,<ref>{{citation|last=kitikmeotheritage|title=Building An Igloo|date=2012-07-25|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ6Pdvf3TpQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/LJ6Pdvf3TpQ| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|access-date=2019-07-05}}{{cbignore}}</ref> similar to the stones used in the architecture of the Inca Empire.
Igloos gradually become shorter with time due to the compressive creep of the snow.<ref name=handy/>
==Building methods== thumb|Closeup of snow, revealing how much air there is between the snow crystals. The snow used to build an igloo must have enough structural strength to be cut and stacked appropriately. The best snow to use for this purpose is snow which has been blown by wind, which can serve to compact and interlock the ice crystals. Snow that has settled gently to the ground in still weather is not useful. The hole left in the snow, where the blocks are cut, is usually used as the lower half of the shelter.<ref name=A&N />
Snow's insulating properties enable the inside of the igloo to remain relatively warm. In some cases, a single block of clear freshwater ice is inserted to allow light into the igloo. Igloos used as winter shelters had beds made of loose snow, skins, and caribou furs.<ref name="A&N" /> Sometimes, a short tunnel is constructed at the entrance, to reduce wind and heat loss when the door is opened. Animal skins or a snow block can be used as a door.
The igloo is architecturally unique in that it is a dome that can be raised out of independent blocks leaning on each other and polished to fit without an additional supporting structure during construction. An igloo that is built correctly will support the weight of a person standing on the roof.
Traditionally, an igloo might be deliberately consolidated immediately after construction<ref name=vol1>{{cite book |last1=Amundsen |first1=Roald |title=The North West Passage, being the record of a voyage of exploration of the ship "Gyöa" 1903-1907; |date=1908 |publisher=London, Constable |volume=1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/northwestpassage01amunuoft/page/145 145] |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/northwestpassage01amunuoft |chapter=3 |quote="We were inexperienced at that time, and did not know that the hut ought to be heated inside in order to consolidate it."}}</ref> by making a large flame with a {{lang|iu-Latn|qulliq}} ({{lang|iu-Latn|kudlik}}, stone lamp), briefly making the interior very hot, which causes the walls to melt slightly and settle.<ref name=A&N>{{cite book |author=Roald Amundsen |title=The North West Passage, being the record of a voyage of exploration of the ship "Gyöa" 1903-1907 |date=1908 |publisher=London, Constable |volume=2 |chapter=Chapter 8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/northwestpassage02amun/page/1 1]-14 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/northwestpassage02amun|author-link=Roald Amundsen }} (a Norwegian observer's account of the building a family's winter igloo, not a short-term hunting one, by Atikleura and Nalungia, Netsilik Inuit)</ref> Body heat is also adequate, although slower. This melting and refreezing builds up a layer of ice that contributes to the strength of the igloo.<ref name=bbc>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7326031.stm |title=What house-builders can learn from igloos, 2008, Dan Cruickshank, BBC |work=BBC News |date=2008-04-02 |access-date=2012-07-10 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090311170506/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7326031.stm |archive-date=2009-03-11 }}</ref>
<gallery class="center" caption="Igloo construction" widths="220px" heights="155px"> File:Igloo see-through sideview diagram.svg|An igloo side view diagram; opening to the right, the optional window may be composed of a sheet of freshwater ice File:Igloo spirale.svg|An igloo's snowbrick laying method </gallery>
The sleeping platform is a raised area. With warmer air rising and cooler air settling, the entrance area acts as a cold trap whereas the sleeping area will hold whatever heat is generated by a stove, lamp, body heat, or other device. The Central Inuit, especially those around the Davis Strait, lined the living area with skin, which could increase the temperature within from around {{convert|2|C}} to {{convert|10|-|20|C}}.<gallery class="center" caption="Igloos" widths="220px" heights="155px"> File:Igloo building in Sarek.png|Process of building an igloo with snowbrick method in mid-way File:igloo.jpg|A nearly complete, medium-sized igloo, with excavation under the door and the exterior unfinished File:Igloo interior.JPG|Interior of an igloo, facing the passageway leading to the entrance </gallery>
==See also== {{Portal|Architecture|Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Canada}} * {{Annotated link|Glacier cave}} * {{Annotated link|Quinzhee}} * {{Annotated link|Snow cave}} * {{Annotated link|Snow fort}} * {{Annotated link|Vernacular architecture}} * {{Annotated link|Kamakura (snow dome)}} * {{Annotated link|Alachig}}
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
==Further reading== * Richard Guy Condon, Julia Ogina and the Holman Elders, ''The Northern Copper Inuit'' ({{ISBN|0-8020-0849-6}}) * [http://www.kstrom.net/isk/maps/houses/igloo.html Igloo – the Traditional Arctic Snow Dome] * [https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/igloo An article on igloos from ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''] * [http://www.nfb.ca/film/How_to_Build_an_Igloo Watch ''How to Build an Igloo''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101120041520/http://www.nfb.ca/film/How_to_Build_an_Igloo/ |date=2010-11-20 }} (National Film Board of Canada) * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060923061005/http://www.usap.gov/travelAndDeployment/documents/FieldManual-Chapt11SnowShelters.pdf ''Field Manual for the U.S. Antarctic Program'', Chapter 11: "Snow Shelters", pp. 140-145] * [http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/205/301/ic/cdc/cape_dorset/dwell1.html Traditional Dwellings: Igloos (1)] (Interview; Library and Archives Canada) * {{cite book|author=Roald Amundsen|title=The North West Passage, being the record of a voyage of exploration of the ship "Gyöa" 1903-1907|date=1908|publisher=London, Constable|volume=2|chapter=Chapter 8|page=[https://archive.org/details/northwestpassage02amun/page/1 1]-14|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/northwestpassage02amun|author-link=Roald Amundsen}} (a Norwegian observer's account of the building a family's winter igloo, not a short-term hunting one, by Atikleura and Nalungia, Netsilik Inuit)
==External links== {{Commons}} {{Wiktionary|igloo}} * How to Build an Igloo (wikiHow)
{{Huts}} {{Native american styles}} {{Architecture in the United States}} {{ice}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Buildings and structures made of snow or ice Category:Indigenous architecture Category:House types Category:Snow Category:Inuit culture Category:Buildings and structures in North America Category:Culture of Greenland Igloo Category:Native American architecture Category:Huts Category:Traditional Native American dwellings