Eskimo Architecture : Dwelling and Structure in the Early Historic Period

by Lee, Molly

• ISBN13: 9781889963228
• ISBN10: 1889963224
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-05-01
• Publisher: Univ of Alaska Pr

Summary

The architecture of Eskimo peoples represents a diversified and successful means of coping with one of the most severe climates humankind can inhabit. The popular image of the igloo is but one of the many structures examined by experts Lee and Reinhardt in the first book-length and arctic-wide study of this remarkable subject. Lavishly illustrated with historic and contemporary photographs, drawings, and maps, this volume includes a comprehensive survey of the historical literature on Eskimo architecture around the circumpolar north. Lee and Reinhardt also draw on their own extensive fieldwork to present an extended comparative analysis of the geographic, climatic, and ethnographic aspects of material from four Arctic subregions: Greenland; the Central Arctic; the Northwest Arctic and Bering Strait; and Southwest Alaska, the Bering Sea, Siberia, and the Gulf of Alaska. In an innovative consideration of both material and cultural aspects of dwelling, they and the peoples they describe redefine the very meaning of "architecture." While scholars of the circumpolar north will welcome the meticulous research of this benchmark study, its clear and fluent prose and abundant illustrations make Eskimo Architecture an engrossing read for nonspecialists interested in the incredible dwellings of arctic indigenous peoples.

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix
Preface	xi
Introduction	1	(8)
Igloos and Accuracy
Scope and Definitions
Physiography, Prehistory, and Seasonality
Greenland	9	(26)
Winter Houses	9	(13)
East and West Greenland Stone Communal Houses
Polar Eskimo Stone Houses
Alternative Winter Dwellings
Aspects of Winter House Life
Transitional Dwellings	22	(1)
Summer Dwellings	22	(6)
East and West Greenland Large Single-Arch Tents
West Greenland Double-Arch Tents
Northwest Greenland Tents
Aspects of Summer Tent Life
Special Use Structures	28	(2)
Associated Rituals and Beliefs	30	(2)
Notes	32	(3)
Central Arctic	35	(38)
Winter Houses	36	(16)
Labrador Eskimo Stone Communal Houses
Canadian Eskimo Snow Houses
Sallirmiut Stone Houses
Alternative Winter Dwellings
Aspects of Snow House Life
Transitional Dwellings	52	(3)
Central Arctic Stone/Bone/Turf Autumn House
Iglulik and Netsilik Ice Autumn House
Summer Dwellings	55	(11)
Ridge Tents
Conical Tents
Sallirmiut Double-Arch Tents
Alternative Summer Dwellings
Aspects of Central Eskimo Tent Life
Special-Use Structures	66	(3)
Lesser Structures
Birth, Menstrual, and Death Huts
Ceremonial Houses
Associated Rituals and Beliefs	69	(2)
Notes	71	(2)
Northwest Arctic and Bering Strait	73	(31)
Winter Houses	73	(20)
Mackenzie Delta Wooden Houses
North Alaska Coast Wooden Houses
Pole-and-Turf Houses
Kotzebue Sound Wooden Houses
Seward Peninsula Wooden Houses
Bering Strait Islands Stone Pit-Houses
Alternative Winter Dwellings
Transitional Dwellings	93	(1)
Summer Dwellings	94	(10)
Short-Pole Conical Tents
North Alaska Interior Dome Tents
Kobuk River Bark Houses
Bering Strait Island Stilt Houses
Alternative Summer Dwellings
Special-Use Structures	104	(15)
Lesser Structures
Birth, Menstrual, and Death Huts
Burial Structures
Ceremonial Houses
Associated Rituals and Beliefs	113	(3)
Notes	116	(3)
Southwest Alaska, Bering Sea, Siberia, and Gulf of Alaska	119	(40)
Winter Houses	119	(25)
Mainland and Insular Alaska Men's and Women's Houses
Siberian Yupik Houses
Alutiiq Houses
Alternative Winter Dwellings
Transitional Dwellings	144	(1)
Summer Dwellings	145	(7)
Norton Sound Wooden Houses
Norton Sound Dome Tents
Yukon River Wooden Houses
Siberian Eskimo Double-Arch Tents
Alutiiq Grass Huts
Prince William Sound Plank Huts
Alternative Summer Dwellings
Special-Use Structures	152	(2)
Lesser Structures
Birth, Menstrual, and Mourning Huts
Burial Structures
Southwest Alaska and Alutiiq Ceremonial Houses
Associated Rituals and Beliefs	154	(2)
Notes	156	(3)
Summary and Conclusions	159	(12)
Contributions to the Study of Eskimo Architecture	159	(3)
Similarities Shared by Dwellings Across the Arctic
Primary Summer and Winter Dwelling Types
Possibilities for Further Research	162	(2)
Future Inquiries	164	(4)
Classification of Types
Gender Studies
Spatial Analyses
Meaning and Symbolism
Subsistence, Settlement, and Mobility
Energy Requirements
Ethnographic Details
Cultural Dimensions	168	(2)
Notes	170	(1)
Appendix	171	(12)
References	183	(20)
Names Index	203	(3)
Subject Index	206