Inukshuk Story

November 21, 2008 – 10:43 pm

Silent communicators of the Arctic

One third of Canada’s landmass is in the Arctic, a vast region that is continually shaped by natural forces into endless tundra, mountains and islands. Annual temperatures in the Arctic can range from +30 degrees centigrade (approximately 86 degrees fahrenheit) to –60 degrees centigrade (approximately –70 degrees fahrenheit). These intense temperature fluctuations create an environment that forces all living things to adapt, flee or perish. For over 4,000 years Inuit and before them their ancestors the Tunniit people have adapted and made their home in this land, which is known today as Nunavut.

Traditional Inuit society was nomadic, oral based and used only what the land and sea provided. In Inuktitut one of the languages of the Inuit, the word Inukshuk (singular of Inuksuit) means “likeness of a person”. Inukshuk and Inuksuit have been employed over thousands of years as a method of communication to others.

Inukshuk varies in size, shape, location and communication functions. Built from whatever natural stone was at hand, by people of varying talents, each one is as different as a fingerprint. Placement and arrangement of the inukshuk were as carefully thought out as construction. Some inukshuk were placed to be visible from a great distance, other, inukshuks were to be seen against a snowy backdrop, some inukshuk frame a distant point. Reaching out across the landscape the inukshuk guide hunters travelling on land, sea or ice, they indicate a dangerous place, such as deep snow or strong currents or the quickest route to the next settlement. Sometimes groups of Inukshuk are used to indicate a place to drive herds of game to where they could be killed in numbers.

Not all Inukshuk are built for practical purposes, some have spiritual meaning. The inukshuk may mark the edge of a traditional spiritual landscape or a source of prosperity, cures and protection and so are venerated, touched and given offerings.

Nowadays although most Inuit live in settlements for at least part of the year, their powerful attachment and respect for the land remains as well as their admiration for their ancestors and the traditional way of life. The Inukshuk continues to be built and have become much more than a stone marker. The Inukshuk has become a symbol of the North and of leadership, communication and the human spirit.

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