How to Build an Igloo

A demonstration of igloo-building in Canada's Far North, showing how the site is selected and how blocks of snow are used to make a snug shelter in only an hour and a half. As the camera follows each stage, the commentary explains the process.

In the spirit of the 1949 NFB classic How to Build an Igloo, this film records Dean Ittuksarjuat as he constructs the traditional Inuit home. From the first cut of the snow knife, to the carving of the entrance after the last block of snow has been placed on the roof, this is an inside-and-out look at the entire fascinating process.

The time is 1953 and the place is the eastern Arctic. This film follows the events of a man's growth from birth to maturity. Here we see how an Inuk baby is born, how the young child is treated, how he learns the arts of the hunter, grows to manhood and marries.