Solomon Awa thinks heB次元官网网址檚 probably built about 150 igloos, or igluit in Inuktitut, over his lifetime, starting when he was 15.

Now in his 60s, Awa is considered a master igloo builder in Nunavut.

On a sunny afternoon in Iqaluit, he slices a long, thin knife through blocks of solid snow, carving them to fit snugly in an iglooB次元官网网址檚 walls. He steps back, squinting in the warm sun, to eye his progress, a thin layer of frost on his face.

Awa says igloo-building is traditional knowledge that has been passed down through generations of Inuit. ThereB次元官网网址檚 no blueprint.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 all up here,B次元官网网址� he says, poking a finger at his head beneath his sealskin hat.

But Awa has never built an igloo this big.

Last week, he led a team of 12 men in building a 65-square-metre giant igloo, called a qaggiq or gathering place, over four days. ItB次元官网网址檚 about as big as a studio apartment.

The qaggiq was built to hold a two-day music and arts festival that took place over the weekend. The festival was hosted by Qaggiavuut, an Iqaluit-based organization that is advocating for the creation of a performing arts centre in Nunavut.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e never done anything like this before,B次元官网网址� said Awa, balancing on a folding ladder and shaving the top off a snow block heB次元官网网址檇 just added to the wall.

Alex Flaherty, owner of the Iqaluit guiding company Polar Outfitting, recruited his team to help Awa and Qaggiavuut. In total, Flaherty thinks they cut out about 700 blocks weighing about 36 kilograms each.

B次元官网网址淎t one point we just lost count of how many we cut out,B次元官网网址� he said.

The structure of an igloo is sort of like a snail shell, Flaherty explained. It starts with thicker blocks at the bottom and spirals into thinner ones as it gets to the top. The blocks are sealed together with ice by adding water in the cracks and smoothing it down.

B次元官网网址淓ventually itB次元官网网址檚 going to come down to one block.B次元官网网址�

Flaherty said no one in the group had ever built anything of that size.

The qaggiq is about 14 blocks high. At one point during building, the walls got so high that regular ladders wouldnB次元官网网址檛 reach, so the men stacked their qamutiik, or traditional sleds, and climbed up.

Pitseolak Pfeifer, QaggiavuutB次元官网网址檚 executive director, said a qaggiq is a place of celebration. ItB次元官网网址檚 the perfect venue to not only share performances, but also to welcome spring.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a place to hold a festival, to share culture as Inuit,B次元官网网址� Pfeifer said.

Artists from all over Nunavut performed over the weekend, including drum dancers from Cambridge Bay and a theatre group from Pond Inlet.

Looee Arreak, a singer-songwriter from Pangnirtung and the festivalB次元官网网址檚 artistic director, said it was the first time the artists would have performed in a qaggiq, although the idea isnB次元官网网址檛 new.

B次元官网网址淭hese traditional songs, the drums, the throat singing, were first introduced in a qaggiq. It is very special,B次元官网网址� Arreak said.

B次元官网网址淚t kind of makes me emotional. The architecture of the igloo itself brings so much pride to our culture.B次元官网网址�

Pfeifer said he never thought holding a festival inside an igloo in the middle of a pandemic would be possible.

He said Qaggiavuut received permission from the territoryB次元官网网址檚 chief public health officer. There are no cases of COVID-19 in Iqaluit.

B次元官网网址淭his might be the only place in Canada where weB次元官网网址檙e able to hold a festival,B次元官网网址� Pfeifer quipped.

B次元官网网址淚f we have to play outside, perform outside, we can do it. But Nunavut deserves a performing arts centre. Inuit are amazing performers. It carries us through our lives.B次元官网网址�

Back at the qaggiq, itB次元官网网址檚 -45 C with the wind chill outside, but Awa and his team are laughing, facial hair turning to icicles as they build higher and higher.

Emma Tranter, The Canadian Press

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