Mackenzie Inuit sod house

3D Model

This point cloud is of a Mackenzie Inuit sod house, one of the largest ever excavated in the Western Canadian Arctic. It was investigated over two summers at the Kuukpak site, located on the east channel of the Mackenzie Delta. The project was let by my colleague Dr. Max Friesen, Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto. This feature has three side benches or sleeping platforms which opened onto a common living space. Entrance to the dwelling was via sunken entrance passage, which was ingeniously designed to trap warm air inside the structure and keep old arctic air outside. The structure would have been enclosed by a driftwood frame which would have been covered with hide and sod blocks. These dwellings were occupied during the cold season by the ancestors of the Inuvialuit who continue to live and harvest within this region today. This dwelling is similar to those found at Qikiqtaruk/Herschel Island.