Arctic Experience

Inuksuk were placed upon the landscape for different reasons. The Inuit used them as hunting and navigational aids, coordination points, markers and... more

by Jo Smoley

Title

Arctic Experience

Artist

Jo Smoley

Medium

Painting - Acrylic

Description

Inuksuk were placed upon the landscape for different reasons. The Inuit used them as hunting and navigational aids, coordination points, markers and message centers. Some inuksuk-like figures also had spiritual meaning and were the object of veneration. The Inuit also built a human-like stone figure called an inunnguaq, which means �in the likeness of a human." This figure with a head, a body, legs and arms is not an inuksuk, even if it is often called so; its function is more symbolic than that of an inuksuk. The stone figure that appears on the new flag of Nunavut is an inunnguaq.
There are different types of inuksuit, but most often, an inuksuk is built by placing stone upon stone. The shape and size of the local material largely determine the looks of an inuksuk. Irregular igneous rocks and flat boulders are easier to work with and allow for an endless variety of forms.

Uploaded

March 25th, 2012