Inukshuk

Inukshuk - a Garden Project


There is something very mystical and alluring about an Inukshuk. These incredible pieces of art are not just piles of stones but figures holding spirit, sacred meaning and direction.

Wonderment brought study of the figure, increased intrigue, sparking a further interest. What are they all about?

The word “Inukshuk”(pronounced In-OOK-Shook) literally translates into “stone man that points the way”. The rocks erected in the image of man were erected by the Inuit and stand along Canada's most northern shores.Inukshuks are stone cairns that were erected by Inuit at important locations throughout the barrens of the Arctic to serve as guideposts or markers. They were also erected to help guide in the herding of caribou during their annual migration towards where they could be more easily hunted by the ancient Inuit.

The Inukshuk is given as a gift today, to symbolize our dependence on each other and to remind us of the value of strong relationships. If a single stone is removed from an Inukshuk, the structure becomes weaker and so too is each individual in a team necessary for its strength.

Build your very own Inukshuk

Every Inuksuk is distinctive and unique as no two stones are the same and because crafted by hand. An Inuksuk can be a variety of sizes from small to large; where single stones and rocks are stacked and balanced on top of each other; boulders placed in a pile; or flat stones stacked.

To start out you should collect a bunch of rocks. I enjoy collecting rocks on walks in the wilderness, especially along creeks and rivers.. Most of the rocks or stones should have some flat surfaces. The easiest rocks to work with will have two flat surfaces on opposite sides of the rock (top and bottom).
Start balancing the rocks on top of each other. At this point, your main goal is learning about balancing the rocks and finding combinations that work well together. If two rocks just won't balance, try turning them over. Often just moving the rock a little bit can make a difference.
Decide where you want your finished inuksuk to stand, and start building.


Ideas:

If you're making a small one for inside the house, you may want to build it once to see how the rocks balance. Then re-build it using glue. It won't be a true inuksuk, but it will be much safer!

Posted via email from Epistling's posterous