That, my friends, is an inukshuk (in-ook-shook). Traditionally a stack of stones, it is a symbol used by the Inuits to mark trails, good hunting or fishing spots, caches of food, nearby settlements, you get the picture. It means "likeness of person" and it was a comforting sign for travelers - a reassurance that they were not alone in the barren tundra. According to the official Vancouver 2010 website, "Over time, the inukshuk has become a symbol of hope and friendship, an eternal expression of the hospitality of a nation that warmly welcomes the people of the world with open arms every day".
But the inukshuk is so much more than just a pile of stones. For one, it is a sophisticated communication device. When serving as a trail marker, for instance, the longer arm of the inukshuk points in the recommended direction of travel. When marking a good fishing hole, the inukshuk is positioned so that the distance between the statue and the shoreline equals the distance between the shoreline and the best place to find the fish. An inukshuk at a food cache would have no arms and legs, but instead may have caribou antlers. Within these small subtleties lies the unspoken language of a people.
The structure of the inukshuk is also intrinsically symbolic. The strength of the inukshuk depends on the ability of the stones to compliment each other and achieve balance. Each stone provides support to the stone above and below it, without which it would not stand. It is representative of the cooperative nature of the Inuit communities that inhabit the Arctic of Canada.
You can learn more about the inukshuk from my source.
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