Arctic Inukshuk: What it means to mikey

please appreciate the help Dr. Norman Chance gave me, from his Arctic Circle studies, thank you, sir.

I followed up on the name, and just by cruising the net I came to understand just a little:

Inukshuk

These lifelike figures of rock are erected by the Inuit "in the image of man."

One of the purposes was to serve as directional markers on the treeless horizons, to guide those who followed.

So here I come upon them, with no tradition or knowledge of custom, and I intuit my own flight of fancy about what they are. I hope my poor guess about 'rockmen' didn't offend anyone. Later, in my little tent, the vistas commanded by the view I aligned in my head seemed to bring my thoughts to my own journey through life. I speculated about spirits and ancient chiefs who's connection with the land and the sky was more powerful than mine can ever be. The viewfinder in my closed eyes kept a theme of the valley, the space between two mountains, and drew me into that space. I went across the air, and also into the earth. I sent myself back in time, to try to find these men, and tried from there to look where I am going. In that, I hope I got a small part of the flow from these little guys. I thought about my own mortality, and those of you who know me well enough will understand this is private..

As such, they stand as eternal symbols of the importance of friendship, and remind us of our dependence on one another.

Inukshuk (singular) means "thing like a man" in Inuktitut or the language of Inuit. They are made from large slabs of local rock and fashioned into the shape of a person with their arms out stretched.

One of the purposes attributed to inukshuit (plural) is that they serve as markers or signposts to help guide Inuit across the treeless tundra of the Canadian Arctic. Inuk ['inuk] n. Eskimo a man, especially one superior to other men.

Inukshuk ['inuk, Suk] n. Something acting in the capacity of a man. pl. inukshuit.

Hey, it all fits. How did they know why I'm riding my bike up here anyway? I had brought my own symbols of friendship, and hoped to build more, and little did I know that Judy was actually doing the same. Some of the mystic force did come into us. Now, over a year later, I feel the need for a recharge.

For countless centuries the people of the north have depended on caribou to be a mainstay in their subsistence. Much rode on the success or failure of the hunt. One of the great achievements in changing the odds of the hunt into the favor of ancient northerners was the inukshuk or cairns of rock stacked to resemble human beings. V-shaped avenues of inukshuks lead the caribou to the slaughter once driven between the cairns at the wide end of the double column (often more than a km between). Once the beasts had passed the inukshuks, women and even children would jump out from behind the towering rocks and give chase, leaping, yelling and waving their arms in the air. As the alley narrowed the animals may have realized they had been led to their slaughter, but by then it would have been too late, the hunters with their spears, were on them.

yes. Although my hunting days have faded across the 20+ years since the last deer, I respect the tradition. The respect I had for the game was to care for it with my own two hands, from the kill to the camp to the dress-out. I cut and packed the meat with no one else ever touching it. My family ate it all, and shared it with guests who knew the story of the hunt. Yes, we all gave thanks.

Some of the pictures are now on the net, and some of my thoughts clutter these pages too, but Inukshuk has climbed into me in return and I am happy to admit my friendship and dependence on my fellow man. Thanks to you all.

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