October 2013 - Toronto ON
When walking along Lake Ontario we typically turn left or east, on the weekend we decided to turn right or west for the first time. There was a whole new world opened to us.
Today I will post about the inuksuks we found there, south of Lake Shore Blvd W near Marine Parade.
While trying to find out some more information I discovered that there are several other inuksuk installations in the city and a Toronto park dedicated to the inuksuk, so expect many more photos!
Looking east towards the city - the CN Tower looks like an inuksuk!
According to our friend, Wikipedia, an inuksuk is a stone landmark used as a milestone or directional marker by the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic. Inuksuk differ from some cairns in significance. The Arctic Circle, dominated by permafrost, has few natural landmarks and thus the inuksuk was central to navigation across the barren tundra.
There was a man (I'm assuming he created all the others as well) designing one, amazing how he sets the rocks to balance on a tiny little one.
There was a man (I'm assuming he created all the others as well) designing one, amazing how he sets the rocks to balance on a tiny little one.
Inuksuk vary in shape and size, and perform a diverse array of tasks. It is a symbol with deep roots in the Inuit culture, a directional marker that signifies safety, hope and friendship.
Intriguing sculptures! I like how each of them is so unique. Thanks for sharing.
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How beautiful. I have never heard of these before. They remind me of some of the prehistoric rocks I was looking at in France in the summer. Some of them look so precariously balanced.
ReplyDeleteAwesome photos!
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How interesting--I can't even imagine how to begin trying to stack rocks of all different sizes and shapes like that!
ReplyDeleteI love the stone cairns. We noticed them when we went to Hawaii a few years ago too.
ReplyDeleteThose are beautiful. I've heard of, and seen, cairns, but not inuksuk. Loved learning about them -- thanks!
ReplyDeleteDelightful rock sculptures and good history tidbits. I really like the variety of objects in the first photo with the dark, cloudy sky, the city and the rocks. Very nice indeed.
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