2010 Connection: The Inuksuk

Once simply an Inuit tool to mark a significant event or place in the North, the Inuksuk has become a symbol of leadership, cooperation, and the human spirit. A contemporary rendition of the Inuksuk is now the emblem of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

The Inuksuk, meaning “to act in the capacity of a human” in the Inuit language Inuktitut, is built to resemble the shape of a person with arms stretching out. Each Inuksuk is unique, its shape determined by the stones at hand.

The Inuksuk is a form of Inusugait, the term used for all forms of piled stones. Inuksuit (plural of Inuksuk) mark where a significant event happened and also help in the hunt of caribou herds. Other kinds of Inusugait show travelers and hunters the way home, warn of dangerous places, and indicate where food is stored.

Just as the Inuksuk acts in the capacity of a human in the Inuit world, this friendly rock structure extends open arms to the world in Canada’s name. 

groundWORK 2007/2008 – Issue 10