December 28th, 2015:Inuksuk or Inukshuk

[xoxoxoBruce]

Limey's discovery of stone piles, along the Ottawa River, and they are called Inukshuk, peaked my curiosity.
Inuksuk (also spelled inukshuk, plural inuksuit) is a figure made of piled stones or boulders constructed to communicate with humans throughout the Arctic.

Traditionally constructed by the Inuit, inuksuit are integral to Inuit culture and are often intertwined with representations of Canada and the North.
A red inuksuk adorns the flag of Nunavut. In Inuktitut, the term inuksuk means "to act in the capacity of a human."
It is an extension of the word inuk meaning "a human being."
Inuksuit have been found adjacent to archaeological sites dating from 2400 to 1800 BCE (see Prehistory) in the Mingo Lake region of southwest Baffin Island.
While stone figures resembling human forms are often referred to as inuksuk, such figures are actually known as inunnguaq.
Inunnguaq, which means "in the likeness of a human, with head, body, legs and arms, its purpose is more symbolic than functional.
Among their many practical functions, they are used as hunting and navigational aids, coordination points and message centres.
In addition to their earthly functions, certain inuksuk-like figures have spiritual connotations, and are objects of veneration.

But I think the Inukshuk pictured above are the result of that intertwining with Canadian culture. Not exactly for the tourists, although that's part of it, but coopt by the tourist industry and commercial interests, with the urging of the government, as representing Canada. There's even one at the Canadian embassy in Washington, D.C.
This is what they look like in the wild.



I had a tough time finding these pictures and in the process discovered... well... it's complicated.

There are four general shapes of inuksuit that are easily recognized and that show their surprisingly wide range of expression.
The nalunaikkutaq, which literally means "deconfuser" and is made of a single upright stone placed on its end.
The tikkuuti are pointers of different sizes and shapes. It can be a triangular rock lying flat on the ground or a straight line of rocks, largest rock down to smallest, indicating which way.
The inuksummarik or an inuksukjuaq, is a big boy, larger than average size. Easily seen from a distance, they mark major coordination points.
The inuksuit which have been used as message centres in addition to their original purpose, have an arrangement of stones at their base left by a hunter for a follower.

That just the surface, the natives can tell how deep the water is, where the fish and whales are, and what's happening in the hood.

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