Variability in traditional and non-traditional Inuit architecture, AD. 1000 to present

This dissertation presents a history of house forms used by Inuit in the Eastern Canadian Arctic, from AD.1000 to present. I focus on three particular types of dwellings; the semi-subterranean whale bone house, the composite snow house, and the government subsidized prefabricated house. I attempt to correlate changes in house selection, design, and use, with environmental and social factors which have impacted on Inuit families over the past one thousand years.; A statistical analysis of semi-subterranean whale bone houses from two Thule sites in the Canadian High Arctic reveals architectural variability which reflects the use of two distinctive building strategies. I argue that these two strategies reflect attempts by Thule builders to accommodate (1) fluctuations in the availability of key building materials, and (2) differences in the anticipated use-life of a dwelling.; The spatial analysis of semi-subterranean whalebone houses and composite snow houses demonstrates that the spatial organization of each house form is generated by a different space syntax, or set of 'rules' which define how spaces are combined together. I argue that each space syntax reflects the distinctive socioeconomic configuration of Thule and Historic Inuit families.; The implication that social processes are reflected in the spatial organization of traditional Inuit architecture is then used as a baseline for understanding the impact that Euro-Canadian architecture has had on traditional Inuit households during the Settlement Era (1950 to present). I argue that the spatial organization of traditional Inuit houses and Euro-Canadian houses are generated by different space syntaxes; each reflecting the differing socioeconomic configuration of Inuit and Euro-Canadian families. As a consequence of this, I contend that Euro-Canadian house designs and housing programs effectively undermined the solidarity of the traditional Inuit extended family (Ilagiit), and fostered the ascendancy of the nuclear family; a household form favored by the Canadian Government for administrative purposes.