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Build your own "virtual inukshuk"


BTW... "inukshuk" is the English version of "inuksuk" which is the inuit spelling,
"inuksuit" is the plural.

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/images/inukshuk/game.html

 

Here is a lovely photo of the actual inukshuk at Whistler Mountain
"Inukshuk" Whistler 2010
by danielswalsh Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1524 W: 366 N: 2372] (13334)

 

The following is a rather good explanation about our Olympic Inukshuk, whose name is Ilanaaq
http://traveln-on.com/blog/?p=174

An Inuksuk[1] (plural: inuksuit), is an ancient symbol of Inuit culture that served as a well-known symbol of northern hospitality and friendship and were beacons to those looking for the right direction and a safe passage across the arctic tundra.  The lifelike structure represents a human form with outstretched arms and the Inuit’s translation of the word literally means “stone man that points the way” or “in the image of man.”  
The Inuksuk (pronounced In-OOK-Shook), figures were traditionally used as landmarks and navigation aids throughout the Arctic region of North America.  The Inuit make inuksuit in different forms and for different purposes: to show directions to travelers, to warn of impending danger, to mark a place of respect, or to act as helpers in the hunting of caribou. Similar stone figures were made all over the world in ancient times, but the Arctic is one of the few places where they still stand. In fact, travelers today can see inuksuit along many roadsides between Alaska and Greenland. An inuksuk can be small or large, a single rock, several rocks balanced on each other, round boulders or flat. Inuit tradition forbids the destruction of inuksuit. Inuksuit have endured as an eternal symbol of leadership, cooperation, friendship, the human spirit, and a reminder of our dependence upon one another.  Like ancient trackers, the inuksuk helped guide people seeking their way across the frozen tundra.  The presence of an inuksuk in the barren wilderness represented safety and nourishment, trust and reassurance.
The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games emblem is a contemporary interpretation of the inuksukhttp://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af282/Traveln/Winter%20Olympics/vancouver2010.jpg called Ilanaaq which means ‘friend’ in the native Inuit Inuktitut language.  This is the symbol of Canada’s Games – our friend who will help us greet the world in 2010.
This contemporary design, created by Vancouver based Elena Rivera MacGregor and her team of designers, was chosen from 1,600 entries from across Canada by an international panel of nine judges. According to Rivera MacGregor, her winning design is meant to represent the culture, environment and people of Canada.
The Ilanaaq emblem features five individual parts or the stones of the inuksuk in different colors. The blue and green colors represent the Canadian west coast islands, forests and mountain ranges. The red represents the Canadian maple leaf while the gold is for the brilliant sunrises that light up the Vancouver downtown skyline and the surrounding snow capped mountain peaks. The Ilanaaq inuksuk also has a mouth which gives it a happy and welcoming human characteristic. Similar to traditional Inuit inuksuk markers, each stone relies on each other for support of the overall structure.

 

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