13 Inuksuit (Singular: Inuksuk)

Note (from Wikipedia): Inuksuit are increasingly serving as a mainstream Canadian national symbol. The logo of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver and the construction of inuksuit around the world have led to their increasing recognition. Five authentic inuksuit which have been donated - wholly or in part - by the government of Canada: In Brisbane (Australia), Monterrey ( Mexico), Oslo (Norway), Washington DC (USA), and Guatemala City (Guatemala).

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Ancient - Native Inuksuit, Inuksuk Point (Inuksugalait, “where there are many Inuksuit“), Foxe Peninsula. Baffin Island, Nunavut (Canada). Note the Inuksua on the Nunavut flag (right image).

1987 - Inuksuk, English Bay, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada). "This is a contemporary work created by artisan Alvin Kanak of Rankin Inlet, Northwest Territories (which is now in the territory of Nunavut that separated from the Northwest Territories in 1999). It was given as a gift to the city for Expo 86. The land has since been donated to the city, and it is now a protected site. Friendship and the welcoming of the world are the meanings of both the English Bay structure and the 2010 Winter Olympics emblem (qv). Kanak's work represents the strength of his people and the modes of communication and technology before modern Canada."

1988 - Inuksuk, Consular Section, Canadian Embassy, Pensylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC (USA). A peace monument of a kind. An embassy brochure explains that "this Inuit sculpture mimics the figure of a solitary man. The rocks are balanced one on top of the other, only the bottom two are fixed. Such Inukshuit, built by the people of Canada's northernmost region, are used to mark trailheads and to pen caribou [sic]. When snowfall creates whiteout conditions, the Inukshuk serves as the only distinguishing feature between land and sky. The Artist, David Rubin Piktoukin, lived on site at the Embassy while building this piece in 1988." Right image overlooks the Canadian Embassy from the neghboring Newseum (qv). All 3 photos by EWL.

June 1, 2000 - Inukshuk, City Hall Square, Windsor, Ontario (Canada). Photo by EWL.

July 2002 - Inuksuk, Bettery Park, Toronto, Ontario (Canada). Nine-metre-high inuksuk on the shore of Lake Ontario. Comemorates the World Youth Day 2002 festival that was held in Toronto.

Date? - Inuksuk, Lake Windermere, Invermere, East Kootenay Region, British Columbia (Canada).

2003 - Unfortified Boundary Marker, Skagway Pass, between Yukon Territory (Canada) & Alaska (USA). "On Skagway Mountain Road that heads from Skagway towards Whitehorse in the Canada Yukon territory." /// "With contributions of Kiwanis clubs in Canada (mostly BC) and the U.S. (mostly Washington) this stone monument on the Alaska/Canada border reads: 'This unfortified boundary line between the Dominion of Canada and the United States of America should quicken the remembrance of the more than a century old friendship between these countries, a lesson of peace to all nations.' The monument was erected in 2003, over twenty years after Canada officially dropped the word "Dominion of" from its title."

-	August 3, 2004 - "The Inuksuk Book" (Wow Canada! Collection) by Mary Wallace. First of several Inuksuk books. The Others include "Make Your Own Inuksuk" (Wow Canada! Collection) by Mary Wallace and "Inuksuit: Silent Messengers of the Arctic by Norman Hallendy.

- On July 13, 2005 Canadian military personnel erected an inuksuk on Hans Island, along with a plaque and a Canadian flag, as part of Canada's longstanding dispute with Denmark over the small Arctic island.

October 31, 2007 - Inuksuk, Monterrey, Nuevo León (Mexico). Canada’s ambassador to Mexico, Guillermo Rishchynski, left, and Nuevo León Gov. José Natividad González unveil an Inukshuk in Monterrey in northern Mexico on October 31, 2007. The Inukshuk was a gift from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Government of Canada. /// The most recent Canadian-donated inuksuk was built in Monterrey in October 2007 by the renowned Inuvialuit artist Bill Nasogaluak. The sculpture was presented to the people of the northern state of Nuevo León as a gift from the Monterrey Chapter of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Mexico and the Government of Canada, to mark the Chamber’s 10th anniversary in the city. The sculpture stands over the Santa Lucía Riverwalk. Nasogaluak, of Tuktoyaktuk, NWT, personally chose the rocks for the structure from a local quarry near Monterrey. The inuksuk contains two rocks which the artist took to Mexico from Canada, one from the High Arctic and another from his home town of Toronto. Together they form the inuksuk’s heart.

February 28, 2009 - Inuksuk, Auroville, Tamil Nadu (India). "I am Christian Feuillette, president of AVI-Canada and vice-president of the Board of AV International... In the vast expanses of the Arctic, impressive stone figures have been erected by the Inuit for thousands of years in order to guide travelers for their survival. A symbol of the harmonious presence of man in nature, the Inuksuk has now become an emblem of Canada as a whole, honoring the wisdom and spirit of cooperation of the first inhabitants of North America (Inuit and First Nations). This Inuksuk represents for us the quest of Man from the beginnings of Time aspiring for the light of a new consciousness for humanity... The Inuksuk wanted to land now in Auroville, and here was its place. It represents the affirmation of the presence of Canada in Auroville and a living symbol of unification and aspiration."

2010 - Statue of Ilanaaq the Inunnguaq, top of the Whistler Village Gondola, Whistler Blackcomb Resort, Whistler, British Columbia (Canada). Mascot of the 2010 Winter Olympics. "The basis of the logo of the 2010 Winter Olympics [right image] designed by Vancouver artist Elena Rivera MacGregor. Its use has been controversial, both among the Inuit and the First Nations of British Columbia. Although the design has been questioned, people believe it pays tribute to the inuksuk that stands at Vancouver's English Bay."

December 14, 2010 - Inukshuk, Lamoureux Park, Cornwall, Ontario (Canadqa). On St. Lawrence River. "The first anniversary of the passing of the Olympic torch in Cornwall was celebrated on December 14 with the unveiling of a commemorative Inukshuk & plaque beside the Clock Tower at Lamoureux Park. The Inukshuk was the welcoming symbol for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. On December 14, 2009, the Olympic Flame came to Cornwall as thousands of citizens gathered at Lamoureux Park to witness the final bearer, Rik Saaltink, who lit the cauldron in honour of his daughter Heather. The Inukshuk symbolizes friendship, hope, hospitality, energy & team spirit. 'It will continue to remind us of the wonderful event we shared,' said Cornwall Mayor Bob Kilger during the ceremony. The City of Cornwall partnered with the Ontario Power Generation (OPG) for the Inukshuk & plaque." /// May 2011 : "An Inukshuk placed in Lamoureux Park to commemorate the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay has been destroyed. All that stands of the symbolic statue are two cement blocks. 'It's a horrible thing,' says Pam Maloney, co-chair of the Torch Relay task force. 'It's disheartening that something that was symbolic of a really wonderful day for our community has been destroyed in this way.' Maloney says she is unsure as to how the Inukshuk was destroyed. 'Vandalism doesn't really prove anything,' she says. 'I'm sure we'll replace it. The memory of that event will carry on, no matter what. It sounds like it was just irresponsible people getting their kick.'"

2014 - Insuksuit, Terminal 1, Lester B. Pearson International Airport, Toronto, Ontario (Canada). Outside departures entrance. N.B.: Lester B. Pearson [1897-1972] received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957. Terminal designed by Moshe Safdie (qv) who also designed the US Institute of Peace in Washington, DC (USA), & Holocaust Museum at Yad Vashem, Jerusalem (Israel).

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