Killarney Inukshuk
by Nina Silver
Title
Killarney Inukshuk
Artist
Nina Silver
Medium
Photograph - Digital Photograph
Description
According the Canadian Encyclopedia, "Figures made of stone called inuksuit (singular inuksuk, also spelled inukshuk) are among the most important objects created by the INUIT, who were the first people to inhabit portions of Alaska, Arctic Canada and Greenland. The term inuksuk (in Inuktitut) means "to act in the capacity of a human." It is an extension of the word inuk meaning "a human being." While some archaeologists speculate that the inuksuk is a recent artifact that came into being when the missionaries appeared in the Arctic, some inuksuit have been found contiguous to Palaeoeskimo sites ( 2400-1800 BC - see PREHISTORY) in the Mingo Lake region of southwest BAFFIN Island.
Inuksuit are placed on the temporal landscape acting as "helpers" to the Inuit. Among their many practical functions, they are used as hunting and navigational aids, act as coordination points, serve as various indicators (eg, where food was cached), and act as message centers. In addition to their earthly functions, certain inuksuk-like figures have spiritual connotations, and are objects of veneration, often marking the threshold of the spiritual landscape of the Inummariit - the Inuit who know how to survive on the land living in their traditional way. These include the once dreaded angakuhabvik, an inuksuk constructed by a SHAMAN, and inuksuk-like stone figures believed to contain spirits"
This inukshuk was found along a trail in Killarney Provincial Park.
Uploaded
May 31st, 2015
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