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Outside-In / Inside-Out
Summer Cabin
The use of small cabins shared by extended family members during the summer months is common in Inuit communities where being on the land is key to numerous cultural traditions, food practices, and spiritual well-being. Summer cabins are constructed through an informal process of self-building and a repurposing of found materials in areas where coastal summer hunting grounds and seasonal resources are available.
Whale Hunting Camp
Between July and September, hunters and their families gather at a staging camp to prepare boats and equipment, including modern and traditional hunting tools, for the four crews that will go on the whale hunt: the captain’s crew, co-captain’s crew, rope crew, and assistance crew. Following the hunt, the hunters’ families spend days preparing the whale to be brought back to the community for a feast where the meat and muktuk (skin or blubber) is shared amongst everyone.
Country Food Sharing
Food sharing is a central practice in Inuit communities that ensures that all families, children, and elders share in traditional country foods from the land. Large game is butchered on the sea ice and enjoyed by hunters and their families at camp and later brought back to the community to provide for others.
Bowhead Whale Hunt
The bowhead whale hunt is a centuries-old Inuit tradition, which, despite being heavily restricted since the 1900s, is still to this day a celebrated event involving entire communities in the north. During the hunt, crews set out on boats equipped with harpoons, floats, darting guns and lances to make a catch, which will then be floated to shore with the help of the hunters and their families.
Beach Shacks
Informal beach shacks are a commonly found along shorelines where they are used for the storage of supplies, equipment, and other necessities for hunting marine animals. Shacks are self-built structures shared by owners, their families, and friends and are the result of a common informal practice of materials reuse and builders working with what is available.
Deep-Sea Port
Deep-sea ports are a key component of northern infrastructure during the summer sealift season connecting southern ports to coastal communities in the north. Many Arctic communities lack sufficient marine infrastructure such as deep-sea ports and as a result small barges are used to transfer goods from cargo ships to the mainland.