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The Timeless Inuksuk

© Regenia G. Butcher

The fury of the wind as it hurls the falling snow at Netsit makes him unable to see more than a few feet in front of him.  Yet, he and the others have to trudge onward if they are going to make it back to their village.  They've already traveled so far that expectations of getting back there lessen with each step taken.  Still...they must continue.

But what if they can't find the Inuksuk they're seeking?  What if they've veered off course too far?  Would their provisions last until they found a food cache?  And if they aren't on course, how far off are they?  Apprehension increases.

Suddenly, someone shouts that all is well and everyone breathes a sigh of relief.  They located it.  Home is not far away.

What did the group suddenly discover that gave them renewed hope?  What is an Inuksuk?  A pile of rocks.  A SPECIAL pile of rocks, specifically placed and stacked in such a way that it becomes a location marker. 

The Aboriginal Inuit people of the Arctic region depended on the Inuksuk, not only to help them in their travels, but with their hunting as well.  When Inuksuit (more than one Inuksuk) were stacked in the shape of human figures, they provided Inuit hunters with a cunning advantage - the appearance of a larger hunting group than there actually was.

An Inuksuk was obviously an indispensable pile of rocks.  They were used for various purposes.  An Inuksuk could be built to pay honor to an occasion (marriage, birth, etc.).  They were also constructed to show better hunting areas or warn of dangerous circumstances; to be used as shelter from the winds or show where food was kept.  They could also be built at the whim of the builder for expressing any number of emotions.  Songs that were meant to be sung while traveling included mentions of Inuksuit within the verses as directional reminders.

The Inuit (one of three Aboriginal groups in Canada and Alaska) are thought to be descendants of the very inventive Thule people.  The Inuit name replaced the title "Eskimo" several decades ago and recently (April of 1999), in a lands claim deal, they were officially given their own territory - Nunavut.  With so many Inuit communities across Canada, and so many variations of the Inuit dialect being spoken, this official Act will promote a continuity that has been needed for some time.

As with any Aboriginal people worldwide, the Inuit have a reverence for the land and Mother Nature that few others can comprehend.  It is this reverence that has helped them to survive throughout the years and has helped them to adapt whenever "outside" influences made adapting necessary.

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