Sod Houses

Northwest Territories


Toward the northern end of Tuk are examples of the traditional Inuvialuit igluryuaq (sod houses), made from driftwood and covered with sod. With a tunnel-like entrance, floors embedded into the permafrost, a cross-shaped interior and a hearth, these kept their dwellers warm even in winter. The Inuvialuit move into Western-style houses in the 1900s coincided with the missionaries' arrival.


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Nearby Northwest Territories attractions

1. Icehouse

0.02 MILES

The Icehouse is the community freezer. The entrance looks like an outhouse, but inside you descend into a tunnel system excavated 10m into the permafrost…

2. Our Lady of Lourdes

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Beautifully restored and sitting off the main street by the Catholic mission, this schooner delivered supplies to far-flung Catholic missions in the…

3. Pingo Canadian Landmark

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The Tuk Peninsula has the world's highest concentration of pingos. Some 1350 of these huge mounds of earth-covered ice, that form only in a permafrost…

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