Aninuksuk (pluralinuksuit)[1] orinukshuk[2][a] is a type of stonelandmark orcairn built and used byInuit, includingIñupiat,Kalaallit,Yupik, andother peoples of theNorth American Arctic. These structures are found innorthern Canada,Greenland, andAlaska. This combined region, north of theArctic Circle, is dominated by thetundrabiome and has areas with few natural landmarks.
The inuksuk may historically have been used for navigation, as a point of reference, a marker for travel routes, fishing places, camps, hunting grounds, places ofveneration,drift fences used in hunting,[4] or to mark afood cache.[5] The Iñupiat in northern Alaska used inuksuit to assist in the herding ofcaribou into contained areas for slaughter.[6] Varying in shape and size, the inuksuit have ancient roots inInuit culture.[7]
Historically, the most common types of inuksuit are built with stone placed upon stone. The simplest type is a single stone positioned in an upright manner.[8] The size of some inuksuit suggests that the construction was often a communal effort.[4]
AtInuksuk Point (Enukso Point) onBaffin Island, there are more than 100 inuksuit. The site was designated aNational Historic Site of Canada in 1969.[9][10]
The wordinuksuk means "that which acts in the capacity of a human".[11] The word comes from the morphemesinuk ('person')[12] and-suk ('ersatz, substitute'). It is pronouncedinutsuk inNunavik and the southern part ofBaffin Island (seeInuit phonology for the linguistic reasons). In many of the centralNunavut dialects, it has the etymologically related nameinuksugaq (plural:inuksugait).[citation needed]
While the predominant English spelling isinukshuk, both the Government of Nunavut[13] and theGovernment of Canada throughIndigenous and Northern Affairs Canada[14] promote the Inuit-preferred spellinginuksuk.
A structure similar to an inuksuk is called aninunnguaq (ᐃᓄᙳᐊᖅ,'imitation of a person', pluralinunnguat); it is meant to represent a human figure.Inunnguaq has become widely familiar to non-Inuit, and is particularly found in Greenland.[15] However, it is not the most common type of inuksuk. It is distinguished from inuksuit in general.
The Hammer of Thor, located on theUngava Peninsula,Quebec is most likely an inuksuk rather than of viking origin.[16]
Inuksuit continue to serve as an Inuit cultural symbol. An inuksuk is the centrepiece of theflag andcoat of arms of theCanadian territory of Nunavut, and theflag of Nunatsiavut. TheInuksuk High School inIqaluit is named after the landmark.
Inuksuit—particularly, but not exclusively, of theinunnguaq variety—are also increasingly serving as a mainstream Canadiannational symbol. In 1999, Inukshuk was the name for the International Arctic Art & Music Project ofARBOS in the Canadian provinces of Quebec, Ontario, Nunavik,[clarification needed] and Nunavut; and in Greenland, Austria, Denmark and Norway.[17]
On July 13, 2005, Canadian military personnel erected an inuksuk onHans Island, along with a plaque and aCanadian flag, as part of Canada's longstanding dispute with Denmark over the small Arctic island.[18] The markers have been erected throughout the country, often as generic gateways into tourist regions, including a 9 m (30 ft) inuksuk that stands inToronto on the shores ofLake Ontario. Located in Battery Park, it commemorates theWorld Youth Day 2002 festival that was held in the city in July 2002.
Aninunnguaq is the basis of the logo of the2010 Winter Olympics designed byVancouver artist Elena Rivera MacGregor. Its use in this context has been controversial among the Inuit, and theFirst Nations withinBritish Columbia. Although the design has been questioned, people believe it pays tribute to Alvin Kanak's1986 inuksuk atEnglish Bay. Friendship and the welcoming of the world are the meanings of both the English Bay structure and the 2010 Winter Olympics emblem.[19][20]
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The Vancouver 2010 logo and the construction of inuksuit around the world have led to increasing recognition of them.[citation needed] There are five authentic inuksuit which were donated to other jurisdictions —wholly or in part—by the government of Canada: they are located inBrisbane, Australia;[21]Monterrey, Mexico;Oslo, Norway;Washington, D.C., United States; andGuatemala City, Guatemala.[22]
A Canadian-donated inuksuk was built inMonterrey, Mexico, in October 2007 by theInuvialuk artistBill Nasogaluak. The sculpture was presented to the people of the northern state ofNuevo León as a gift from the Monterrey chapter of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Mexico and the Government of Canada, to mark the chamber's 10th anniversary in the city. The sculpture stands over theSanta Lucía Riverwalk. Nasogaluak, ofTuktoyaktuk, personally chose the rocks for the structure from a local quarry near Monterrey. The inuksuk contains two rocks which the artist took to Mexico from Canada, one from the high Arctic and another from his home town of Toronto. Together they form the inuksuk's heart.
The inuksuk was also used as the symbol of theSummit of the Americas, because of its connotations of "guidance and unity ... towards common goals."[23]
Officials in various wilderness parks throughout Canada routinely dismantle inuksuit constructed by hikers and campers, for fear that they could misdirect park visitors from the cairns and other markers that indicate hiking trails. The practice of erecting inuksuit in parks has become so widespread thatKillarney Provincial Park, on the north shore of Ontario'sGeorgian Bay, issued a notice in 2007 urging visitors to "stop the invasion" of inuksuit.[24]
A large number of inuksuit have been built in some areas along theTrans-Canada Highway, includingNorthern Ontario. In 2010, a journalist fromSudbury'sNorthern Life counted 93 inuksuit alongHighway 69 between Sudbury andParry Sound. The journalist successfully tracked down a person who had built two inuksuit along the route; he attributed his action to having had a "fill the dreams moment where I needed to stop and do it" while driving home from a family funeral.[25]
In 2015, a small group of women nearHamilton, Ontario, constructed 1,181 inuksuit on the Chedoke Rail Trail to memorialize the issue ofMissing and Murdered Indigenous Women, while seeking government action. It was one of many types of activism across the county, and the newly elected government committed to conducting a national inquiry that year.[26]
According toGuinness World Records, the tallest inuksuk is inSchomberg, Ontario, Canada. Built in 2007, it is 11.377 metres (37.33 ft) tall.[27]
On the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of theRome Statute, to mark Canada's support for theInternational Criminal Court (ICC)[28] and as a symbol for its commitment to reconciliation with Canada'sFirst Nations[citation needed], Canadian Minister of Justice and Attorney GeneralWilson-Raybould on 7 March 2018 donated an inuksuk as a gift to the ICC. It was unveiled by her and ICC President JudgeSilvia Fernández de Gurmendi at the ICC premises inThe Hague.[29]
