All about Inukshuks

Inukshuks

"Silent Messengers of the Arctic"

When you see one it means...
'I've been here before; you're on the right path'

Photo taken by Harry
http://www.badboyteddy.com/

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. ": Albert Einstein

There is something very mystical and alluring about an Inukshuk. These incredible pieces of art are not just piles of stones but figures holding spirit, sacred meaning and direction. My interest in Inukshuks came to fruition quite a few years ago, working as a laser engraver. Clients would bring in, these amazing stone or crystal figures to be engraved and adorned with special quotes and phrases.....

Wonderment brought study of the figure, increased intrigue, sparking a further interest. What are they all about? Gazing at placement of the engraving I would feel a Deja Vu triggering memories of seeing them as a child as I grew up in the North of Canada. Childhood memories of aw as to how people could skillfully build a human figure from a stack of stones without them falling!

The word “Inukshuk”(pronounced In-OOK-Shook) literally translates into “stone man that points the way”. The rocks erected in the image of man were erected by the Inuit and stand along Canada's most northern shores.Inukshuks are stone cairns that were erected by Inuit at important locations throughout the barrens of the Arctic to serve as guideposts or markers. They were also erected to help guide in the herding of caribou during their annual migration towards where they could be more easily hunted by the ancient Inuit.

The Inukshuk is given as a gift today, to symbolize our dependence on each other and to remind us of the value of strong relationships. If a single stone is removed from an Inukshuk, the structure becomes weaker and so too is each individual in a team necessary for its strength.

Build your very own Inukshuk

Every Inuksuk is distinctive and unique as no two stones are the same and because crafted by hand. An Inuksuk can be a variety of sizes from small to large; where single stones and rocks are stacked and balanced on top of each other; boulders placed in a pile; or flat stones stacked.

To start out you should collect a bunch of rocks. I enjoy collecting rocks on walks in the wilderness, especially along creeks and rivers.. Most of the rocks or stones should have some flat surfaces. The easiest rocks to work with will have two flat surfaces on opposite sides of the rock (top and bottom).
Start balancing the rocks on top of each other. At this point, your main goal is learning about balancing the rocks and finding combinations that work well together. If two rocks just won't balance, try turning them over. Often just moving the rock a little bit can make a difference.
Decide where you want your finished inuksuk to stand, and start building.

Ideas:

If you're making a small one for inside the house, you may want to build it once to see how the rocks balance. Then re-build it using glue. It won't be a true inuksuk, but it will be much safer!