SW DV-247 An inuksuk in English Bay, Vancouver

An inuksuk (plural: inuksuit) is a stone landmark or cairn built by humans, used by the Inuit, Inupiat, Kalaallit, Yupik, and other peoples of the Arctic region of North America. These structures are found from Alaska to Greenland. This region, above the Arctic Circle, has areas with few natural landmarks.

The meaning of inuksuk is “stone man that points the way”. The inuksuk may have been used for navigation, as a point of reference, a marker for travel routes, fishing places, camps, hunting grounds, places of veneration, drift fences used in hunting or to mark a food cache. Varying in shape and size, the inuksuit have ancient roots in Inuit culture. 



The flag of Nunavut shows an inuksuk

This postcard sent by eepy (28 August 2014) Swap-bot shows the inukshuk in English Bay, Vancouver.  This particular inuksuk was once used at the Northwest Territories Pavilion during Expo ’86 held in Vancouver. It was moved to English Bay beach in 1988. It was an inspiration for the official logo for the 2010 Winter Olympics.