Qarmaq

Qarmaq (plural: "qarmat")[1] is an Inuktitut term for a type of inter-seasonal,[2] single-room family dwelling used by Inuit.

[4] Qarmaq were built in the transitional seasons of fall and spring with a circular wall of stone, sod, or blocks of snow, a framework usually made from animal bones, which were covered with a skin.

Finding the appropriate site for the qarmaq included understanding the geological layout of an area in relationship to elements of weather.

Women and children gathered tundra moss for crevices, and prepared skins for roofing and siding.

When the outer casing was attacked by the weather or gnawed on by wolves or foxes, women patched it up again and again, often with numb fingers in the freezing cold and biting wind.