Eskimo Architecture

Eskimo Architecture, a book by Gregory A. Reinhardt and Molly Lee, is the recipient of a "Best of the Best From University Presses" award, according to an article in the Indianapolis Star.



According to Reinhardt, a professor of anthropology at the University of Indianapolis, their book is the first on the subject. Working with Lee, a professor of anthropology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and curator of ethnology at the University of Alaska Museum, they've created a book whose, "clear and fluent prose and abundant illustrations make an engrossing read for specialists and nonspecialists alike."







While many people equate earth architecture with adobe and dry regions like the American Southwest and Africa, "Arctic Architecture" can contribute just as much to discussions about humans working with the land to create shelter.



Of course I'm reminded of Robert J. Flaherty's Nanook of the North, an early documentary on the day to day lives of Eskimos. Even to this day the film is enlightening in the way it presents those aspects of life (getting food, creating shelter, etc) that many of us take for granted since those processes are out of our hands, goods merely purchased with money. Pertinent to this discussion, Nanook's construction of an igloo is particularly amazing, a learned skill that looks so easy but takes a life to learn and generations to carry.