WHAT WOULD IT BE LIKE TO LIVE IN A...-by Mario Campos

What would it be like to live in a…

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to live in a tepee, or in an igloo or maybe even a cave or boat?                                                                                                         

1.               Tepee:

A tipi or tepee, is a conical shaped tent with coverings usually made by animal fur which is supported by big wooden poles. This structure was often used by aboriginals in the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies of North America. Tepees are still in use by these people, though now only for ceremonial purposes. The tepee is long-lasting, and it is able to provide warmth in winter, it is cool for the heat in summer, and it is dry during heavy rains. Tipis can be packed away quickly when people need to relocate and can be fastly reconstructed, this was important to Plain Indians with their nomadic lifestyle.

2.   Igloo:

An igloo is also known as a snow house or snow hut. It is a type of shelter built of snow, typically built when the snow can be easily compacted. Igloos were associated with people of Canada's Central Arctic and Greenland's Thule area. Snow is used because the air pockets trapped in it make it an insulator. On the outside, temperatures may be as low as −45 °C, but on the inside the temperature may range from −7 °C to 16 °C when warmed by body heat alone. The igloos have many purposes, such as helping in the hunting season so animals would not be able to see the humans which gave us an advantage; and to hide from large animals such as polar bears.

3.               Spanish cave houses:

Spain’s cave country is in Granada in a mountainous region of northern Andalucía, near Sierra Nevada. Close to Baza and Huéscar, there are entire districts of caves; in some of the surrounding villages, they are the only kind of houses. They owe their existence to the region’s peculiar geology in a prehistoric time. The Moors were the first to live in them, but most of the caves were built in the 19th century by farmworkers. And thanks to the nature of underground life in a hot, dry climate, it’s a tradition that has always been there. There are thousands of cave houses. The temperature inside is fantastic in the summertime and they are also warm in the winter.