Building with IQ (Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit): The rise of a hybrid design tradition in Canada's Eastern Arctic

Since World War II, the Canadian government has encouraged Inuit, a semi-nomadic hunter society, to settle in structured villages to access essential services such as housing. However, Inuit were never consulted on the design, size, or location of their government-owned accommodations. The result has been housing ill-suited to Arctic conditions and lifestyles, neglectful of cultural traditions. ᑕᐃᒪᙵᓂᑦ ᐅᓇᑕᕕᔾᔪᐊᕐᓂᖅᑕᖃᓚᐅᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐊᐃᒃᐸᐱᔭᖓᓂᒃ, ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᖏᑦ ᑲᔪᙱᖅᓴᐃᓯᒪᕗᑦ ᐃᓄᖕᓂᑦ, ᓄᓇᓕᕋᓛᒥᐅᑕᒃᓴᔭᑦ−ᐆᒪᔪᕋᓱᑦᑏᑦ ᐃᓂᖓᓂᒥᐅᑕᓂᑦ, ᓅᑎᑦᑎᓗᑏᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᕋᓛᓄᑦ ᑲᑎᙵᑎᑦᑎᔪᓂᑦ ᐱᔨᑦᑎᖅᑕᐅᓂᒃᑯᓪᓗ ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᕕᖃᖅᑐᓂᑦ ᓱᕐᓗᖃᐃ ᐃᒡᓗᓕᕆᓂᖅ. ᑕᐃᒫᖑᒐᓗᐊᖅᑐᓪᓗᒍᒃ, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᖃᖃᑎᒋᔭᐅᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᖏᑐᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᑦᑑᓂᖏᓅᖓᔪᓂᑦ, ᐊᖏᓂᕆᔭᖏᓐᓅᖓᔪᓂᑦ, ᐅᕙᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᓇᒦᓐᓂᕆᔭᖏᓅᖓᔪᓂᑦ ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᓄᑦ−ᓇᖕᒥᓂᕆᔭᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐃᓂᒋᔭᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᑑᔪᓂᑦ. ᑕᐃᒫᖑᓕᕐᓂᖓ ᐃᒡᓗᓕᕆᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᖅᑮᐅᒪᑎᑦᑎᖏᑐᖅ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᑐᒧᒃ ᒪᓕᒃᓯᒪᓇᑏᓪᓗ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓅᔾᔪᑎᒋᓇᓱᐊᖅᑐᒋᑦ, ᐱᖅᑯᓯᑐᖃᖅᒥᒃ ᑕᐃᒫᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅᑕᐅᖁᔩᓯᒪᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᖓᒍᑦ ᑕᐃᒫᖑᕕᐅᖅᑰᔨᓯᒪᕗᑦ. In response, Inuit have produced a new generation of self-built, mobile structures that incorporate both local and imported technologies and materials, a hybrid vernacular. Drawing from indigenous design features and principles, this responsive architecture (seen in traditional sleds, porches, additions, outbuildings, and remote cabins) better reflects a contemporary Inuit hunting community's needs and aspirations. They are building with "IQ"—an initialism signifying Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit or Inuit life principles. Thus, by examining these frugal creations, I posit Inuit as important producers of hybrid space and argue that these self-built structures, despite their informal and dynamic composition, may lead to a more appropriate and sustainable Arctic built-environment. ᐃᒫᖑᓕᕋᓱᖕᓂᑰᕗᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᑎᒍᑦ, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓴᖅᑮᓪᓗᑏᑦ ᓄᑖᓂᑦ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᒨᖓᔪᓂᑦ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖅ−ᓴᓇᔭᒃᓴᐅᔪᓂᑦ, ᐃᒡᓗᕋᓛᖑᓂᖅᓴᓂᑦ ᐃᓂᒋᔭᒃᓴᐅᔪᓂᑦ ᐊᑦᑐᐊᓂᖃᖅᑎᑦᑎᔪᓂᑦ ᑕᒫᒃᑮᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᑦᑎᒎᖅᑐᓂᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑎᑭᑎᑕᐅᒋᐊᖃᓲᑎᒍᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᔾᔪᑎᑎᒎᖅᑐᒥᓃᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑭᓱᒃᑯᑖᑦ, ᐊᔾᔨᒌᖏᑦᑐᑕᓂᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖅᑕᖃᐅᖅᑑᔪᓂᑦ. The history of architecture is not lacking in design disasters, and among the most notable have been the Canadian government's attempts to provide housing solutions for the residents of Arctic communities. Since the 1950s, these initiatives—ranging from the "matchbox house" to the multiplex—have proven consistently problematic. The litany of deficiencies includes the incapacity to address cultural requirements, spatial needs, landscape siting, structural failures, mold, inadequate insulation, non-existent storage, and building systems requiring complicated training. Why is this? How have residents responded? A survey of the emerging cultural landscape in and around the community of Inuit at Clyde River provides an opportunity to examine these questions and offers a framework for future planning.

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