Exploring Indigenous Architecture: Histories and Designs in Canada

1 Historic and Contemporary Indigenous Architecture in Canada Students Name Course Institution Due Date

2 Historic and Contemporary Indigenous Architecture in Canada Canada has a rich history of art and architecture. The competence in the skills is shared among the indigenous population often labeled as the Aboriginals. The arts are unique as per region and unmatched with the Western arts. In Canada, Indigenous architecture is portrayed uniquely based on history, philosophy, and building style, which greatly varies from Western architectural perspectives and designs. The indigenous buildings acknowledge traditional perspectives since they are closely associated with the cultural and spiritual practices of the indigenous communities. This links them with the natural world, unlike Western architecture, which primarily focuses on functionality and aesthetic values over societal norms and spiritual perspectives. The approach of Indigenous Design thinking draws significant emphasis and focus on the importance of connection, society, well-being, and ecosystems. This approach is viewed as a contemporary and ancient outlook aiming at rejuvenating and rekindling the relationship between human beings and their surroundings or man-environment interaction (Mills & Kalman, 2020). The design and appearance of various indigenous constructions or architecture vary based on the particular society that constructed it. Nonetheless, these indigenous designs were influenced or shaped by various crucial factors such as ecology, geographic zone, and temperature. Basically, indigenous architecture depicts the unique aspects of people or the individuality of the indigenous people. The present Canada was initially inhabited by native people who owned the land legally, thus linking the native communities with the original owner. Despite the sharing of land in the modern state, much of the land was grabbed from them, thus increasing the modern communities' population. The Indigenous architecture depicts diversity but depends on a bold connection between architectural designs and cultures. For instance, Tipis,

3 Igloos, and Wigswarms represent advanced or sophisticated architecture that is best suited to their environment and adapted to meet the needs of the nomadic, hunter-gatherer communities. On the other hand, Longhouses, plank house, and pit houses were built using varying techniques and designs that offered more permanent and long-lasting constructions. The Arctic is the specific Geographical area of Canada's Indigenous Architecture. Canadian Indigenous communities have depicted great skills and resourcefulness by absorbing and using available resources for building purposes. Instead of using the large trunks of trees, sampling was used as the supporting beams since there are much malleable and took less time to cut and place. The hunter-gatherer tribes used animal hides to build and also bones since they had these resources in plenty while they incorporated turf and snow in the completion of the constructions. This paper will expound on the Inuit, the indigenous community of the Arctic, known as "the people" in their local language, the Inuktitut language. Inuk is derived as the singular of Inuit, where the Inui Knight has stayed in the countryside for so long (Mills & Kalman, 2020). Their environment is significant since it offers a variety of resources, thus allowing the communities to survive and progress in hostile and cold climatic conditions. The winter residences and igloos are usually made of snow, while their tents and pits are built using caribou and animal hide, offering food. The Inuit people are considered the native people of the present known Canada, where our history is significant and admirable. It highlights epic stories of the events of Canadian history based on human settlement and societal survival. Like any other civilized and developed community, the Inuit had tipis, tents, and snow houses based on more advanced architecture and innovative designs. Despite other ceremonial structures like

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4 transitional houses and underground winter shelters, we will narrow to three primary works; the tent house, the whalebone his house, and the igloo. Igloos The Inuit community expressed varying designs of igloos, where some people preferred to use animal hides and skins for insulation purposes while others did not. Subsequently, the entrance could be straight or vaulted, where some igloos would be combined to share common resources and facilities like the dining room and dance floors. The particular clusters could carry around ten units, each of which could play a specific role, like a store or residential place. The igloos possess a cultural significance for the Inuits, where the older generation has been passing down the ancient knowledge of igloo construction to the younger generation for survival training. Most Inuit people could stay in skin tents during summer, while during winter, they lived in houses made of whalebones and driftwood. These houses were different since they were insulated from the outside using thatched grasses. Therefore, the architectural design of the Inuit

5 was dependent on the principle that hot air rises, where it had some underground cold traps to prevent drafts for the winter dwellings. The top of the house was the hottest part since the smoke from the fire or cooking facilities rose and settled there. Tips and Tent houses The Inuit people depended on igloos for shelter during the winter season and used tupik for the summer seasons as the primary residential place. During the summer, the Inuit and hunters became nomadic since the weather encouraged hunting and fishing. This allowed the mobility of the tents where the hunters would move in search of their prey, thus enhancing their survival tactics. The tent was made from seals and sealed from the skins of different animals, where rods acted as the support constructed by whalebone. The ends of the tupik were weighed down using pebbles, and a fireplace was set outside for warming and cooking purposes. Eventually, the plain tipi-like tent was the oldest form of house in the countryside built of driftwood. This was achieved by molding it into a representation of a dome or cone symbol, where this building type was used in hunting and fishing lots in the summer. Nevertheless, it was a simple structure that enhanced simplicity in erection and would be moved easily when necessary or needed.

6 Whalebone Houses Thule communities depended on a whalebone to build their constructions with comprehensive and distinct purposes and roles. In some cases, the buildings were designed explicitly as public structures to host the Thule Cultural Whaling Group, serving as private structures for the team leaders. The creation of Winter House by Thule depicted an intricate construction that was partially erected on the ground. This was built to ensure that people stayed indoors for longer periods, sometimes counting several years, with great comfort and favorable warmth. Thule constructed his winter houses using locally available materials like dirt, moss, and whale bones, but he also depended on turf (Mills & Kalman, 2023). For more than five thousand years, the Inuit people and civilization have inhabited a large area that primarily stretches from the Peninsula of Russia to the southeastern coastal region of Greenland. This has helped them evolve and be absorbed by the Arctic zone's unique surroundings and biological resources. However, the Inuit community is not the only inhabitant of the Arctic region since the area also inhabits other indigenous people. The Canadian Inuit depicts a close and strong relationship with the Inupiat communities, Yupik of Russia, Alaska,

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7 and the Greenland Inuit community. Nevertheless, the Inuit people have significant commonalities with Aleut since they share linguistic roots and biological ancestry. The Impact of Racial Bias on Writing about Indigenous Architecture The impacts of racial bias in writing about indigenous architecture and design are pivotal in studying the historical processes of architecture design and indigenous communities. Primarily, non-indigenous architects and different scholars have been writing about the architecture of indigenous, creating an inaccurate illustration of indigenous design theory and philosophy. These representations have been focused on the beauty of the constructions or the aesthetic nature of the structures. This has led to ignoring the cultural and societal significance based on traditional knowledge, which educates the building's design. This approach has instigated the marginalization of indigenous communities and their silencing in the architecture and design field ( Milosz, 2022). The impact of marginalization and silencing has been seen in the loss and decrease of indigenous architecture. Surprisingly, most indigenous structures were destructed and substituted by Western architecture and constructions during colonization. This led to the loss of indigenous knowledge and vital traditional practices linked with more durable structures in architecture. Nonetheless, many indigenous communities have been set aside from the mainstream architectural context, thus marginalizing their voices further.

8 Differences between Indigenous Canada Architecture and Western Architecture Indigenous architecture is seen as a unique approach to design embedded in the indigenous societies' cultural, social, and spiritual ways. The material and designs employed in indigenous buildings must relate to the people's lives while closely associated with the natural world. These cultural practices are passed down by the elders to the new generation to preserve the cultural norms and unique architectural designs ( Milosz, 2022). While Western architecture depends on building materials usually imported from different regions, indigenous architecture relies on readily available resources. The materials used in indigenous architecture are available from the local environment, including stone, mud, animal skin, and wood. On the other hand, Western architectural materials are not easily accessible and are primarily not durable and environmentally friendly since they are not natural. The unique culture of people within the region is appealing in architectural design which has immense distinguishing elements when compared to tehe Western culture. Moreover, while Indigenous architecture depends on cultural and traditional-based techniques which significantly impact individuals' lives, Western architecture relies on modern techniques. Western architecture operates based on prioritizing functionality and efficiency rather than sustainability and environmental conservation.

9 References Mills, E., & Kalman, H. (2023). Early Inuit (Thule) Winter House. In The Canadian Encyclopedia . Retrieved from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/thule- winter-house Mills, E., & Kalman, H. (2020). Architectural History of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. In The Canadian Encyclopedia . Retrieved from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/architectural-history-early-first- nations Milosz, M (2022) From the Archives: Indigenous Architectures ; https://canada- architecture.org/from-the-archives-indigenous-architectures/ Images https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EskimoIglooDrawing.jpeg

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10 https://www.freeimages.com/premium/summer-tent-in-tunu-greenland-antique-wood- engraving-1054234 https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F %2Fwww.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca%2Fen%2Farticle%2Fthule-winter- house&psig=AOvVaw3QzZx8E-bfEC93wWMV5Wd- &ust=1682980911162000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=2ahUKEwith6HM1tL- AhUdvicCHfoUBwoQr4kDegQIARA5

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