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Qulliq

A Qulliq is a soapstone lamp/stove. The soapstone is carved to form a rounded shape, with a depression at the top to hold the fuel. The Qulliq burns seal oil as fuel. For our Inuit ancestors, Qulliit were the only source of light and heat.

Before Inuit moved into houses in villages and hamlets;
Before Inuit had diesel-fueled powerhouses;
Before Inuit had electric lights and stoves;
Inuit had the qulliq.
Inuit used the qulliq for light.
Inuit used the qulliq for heat.

Artist: Elisapee Inukpuk Inuit used the qulliq for cooking. The qulliq was used to melt snow and drinking water, make tea, boil meat, and make bannock. The qulliq was also used for drying different things, such as mittens and boots, or the moss that was used as diapers. Fox skins and sealskins were dried by placing them in a paugusiit [drying rack] near a qulliq.

Seal oil was used to fuel the qulliq. Oil from beluga whales could also be used. Beluga fat is called qilalukkigaq. It burns without any soot and makes a high, clean flame. Some people say qilalukkigaq burns best.

Seal fat was kept stored in seal skin pouches called puurtaq. After the Qallunaat arrived, the Inuit sometimes stored seal oil in big empty oil drums. To prepare the seal oil, seal fat was placed outdoors above the paaq [igloo entrance] to freeze. When it was frozen solid, it was crushed [kaugaqsituq] and then used to fuel the qulliq.

If there were not very many seal available, there would not be very much oil for the qulliq. If Inuit ran out of seal oil for the qulliq, they would have to make other arrangements for heat and light. After the white traders had arrived, the Inuit could make a fire in a cut-off oil drum right in the porch in winter. They cut a hole in the roof of the porch so that the smoke could exit. The porch fire was used to melt ice for water, to boil codfish, and to cook seal meat. This kind of a cooking set-up was called an Igaliq [cookhouse].

An igloo without a burning qulliq would become very frosty inside. It would be both dark and cold.

Excerpt from: Unikkaangualaurtaa (Let's Tell a Story)