due South inukshuk

Inukshuk

Inukshuk is singular, while plural is "inuksuit."

[I know there is a lot of debating going on as to what they were/are used for. From religious reasons to places to guide herds for hunting.
This info was gathered from Lucassie Arragutainaq's presentation at a school in Nunavik. Since he grew up as a hunter in the Hudson Bay area, I feel he knows a bit more about inuksuit than other theories I've seen presented on the net.]

An inukshuk was built as an indicator so people would know where others have been and where it is safe to go.

Inuksuit are like fingerprints upon the land. No two are the same. Inukshuk means "like a person" because inuksuit guide us in so many ways [not because some are man-shaped].

Some were built so people could see them from far away. Others were hidden from view and were used to mark special places and only revealed when you got there. The presense of the inukshuk indicated that somebody had been here or was still here. Travellers knew that they would be welcomed even if they were strangers. Inukshuit are still important to hunters and not just for campsites. In some parts of the North, they help hunters direct herds of game.

[The following are samples of the types you might see if you venture far enough north. Full size photos can be viewed by clicking on photos.]

This inukshuk stands tall like a welcoming figure. When you see this inukshuk, you know you're coming into a safe harbor.It was built in the form of a kash, hollow in the bottom so that people could keep food supplies safely inside.
Lucassie Arragutainaq's
rendering of a welcoming figure
3 on a hill in a straight line points to another island in the distance. It points the way from one camp to another.

An island might have an inukshuk near the water. It would tell people in the winter where the frozen sea ends and the frozen land began.
Lucassie Arragutainaq's
rendering of the frozen sea ends and the frozen land began
If you look thru this hole in the base, you see the best route for the next part of your journey. People always knew where they could go by following the inukshuk. People still use them like that.

If you look thru this hole in the base, you see the best route for the next part of your journey. People always knew where they could go by following the inukshuk. People still use them like that.
Seems to be the one people think of first, however, it's function is the same as the simpler best route inukshuit.
Lucassie Arragutainaq's
rendering of best route

A Story told by Lucassie Arragutainaq:
Two men each built an inukshuk near each other and said the first one to fall, then that is who will die first. One clooapsed 75 years later and the builder of it died shortly after. The other still stands and is in direct line with another one indicating safe passage to winter hunters who passed this way.
In some places inuksuit connect up with each other for hundreds of kilometers creating huge intercepting lines.
In some places inuksuit connect up with each other for hundreds of kilometers creating huge intercepting lines.

This style was the pointer inukshuk which indicates the direction to the closest community.

The inukshuk is a form of language between the land and the people themselves. Without inukshuk in the landscape, we would be lost. For they are our guides. [You don't know where you're going if you don't know where you've been.]

Taken by me while visiting Vancouver.

On a couple trails I've hiked and on some 4-wheel drives I've seen examples of Inukshuit. Watch along the sides of the dirt rode you are on, you'll find small piles of rocks or rocks that form arrows.
Montana at the Little Big Horn. Along portions of the car tour, you can get out and look thru the hole in tubes like this one. They will line you up with what they want you to note.

Index Page - The Museum

This inukshuk stands tall like a welcoming figure. When you see this inukshuk, you know you're coming into a safe harbor.It was built in the form of a kash, hollow in the bottom so that people could keep food supplies safely inside.	Lucassie Arragutainaq's rendering of a welcoming figure	3 on a hill in a straight line points to another island in the distance. It points the way from one camp to another.
An island might have an inukshuk near the water. It would tell people in the winter where the frozen sea ends and the frozen land began.	Lucassie Arragutainaq's rendering of the frozen sea ends and the frozen land began	If you look thru this hole in the base, you see the best route for the next part of your journey. People always knew where they could go by following the inukshuk. People still use them like that.
If you look thru this hole in the base, you see the best route for the next part of your journey. People always knew where they could go by following the inukshuk. People still use them like that.	Seems to be the one people think of first, however, it's function is the same as the simpler best route inukshuit.	Lucassie Arragutainaq's rendering of best route
A Story told by Lucassie Arragutainaq: Two men each built an inukshuk near each other and said the first one to fall, then that is who will die first. One clooapsed 75 years later and the builder of it died shortly after. The other still stands and is in direct line with another one indicating safe passage to winter hunters who passed this way.	In some places inuksuit connect up with each other for hundreds of kilometers creating huge intercepting lines.	In some places inuksuit connect up with each other for hundreds of kilometers creating huge intercepting lines.
This style was the pointer inukshuk which indicates the direction to the closest community.

Taken by me while visiting Vancouver.
On a couple trails I've hiked and on some 4-wheel drives I've seen examples of Inukshuit. Watch along the sides of the dirt rode you are on, you'll find small piles of rocks or rocks that form arrows.	Montana at the Little Big Horn. Along portions of the car tour, you can get out and look thru the hole in tubes like this one. They will line you up with what they want you to note.