In 2010 the Winter Olympics will be held in Vancouver, Canada. What an exciting time that proposes to be. With hundreds of athletes competing in sports like bob-sleighing, alpine skiing, luge, ice hockey, ski jumping, snow boarding, etc., the 2010 winter games will come alive for us all.
The symbol of the 2010 Winter Olympics is the Inukshuk. Many do not know what this symbol means or what it represents. The logo which is representative of a stone figure in the Inuit culture depicts a little man formed by stones piled on top of one another. Called an Inukshuk, it is a stone marker that was used by the Inuit for centuries to help guide them through the northern Arctic terrain. Here is a little insight into this unique and lovely Olympic logo.
Even today, if you travel across the Canadian Arctic, you will see piles of rock and stone slabs built to resemble the shape of a person with their arms out-stretched. It is a classic symbol of the Canadian north. In the most basic terms, Inukshuk (pronounced 'in-ook-shook') means 'in the image of man'.
The Inuit used the Inukshuk to channel the caribou herds into areas where the Inuit hunters could easily hunt and capture them. Hunters often would hide behind the large Unukshuik (plural of Inukshuk) to help them in their hunting strategy of the caribou. The caribou had a huge role in the Inuit daily life and diet.
The Inukshuk can also be found along Arctic coastlines. Here they were used as navigational tools and markers to open channels. Many Inukshuk that are found inland were used as directional markers for travel. The longer arm of the Inukshuk would point the direction that the traveler should go.
Some Inukshuk's have a peep-hole located in their centre. The traveler would have to look through the peep-hole to locate another Inukshuk in the distance. In that way, they would know which direction to travel to.
The design chosen for the 2010 Olympic Games Inukshuk was created by Elena Rivera MacGregor and her team of designers. The design was chosen from 1,600 entries across Canada by an international panel of nine judges. The winning design is said to represent the culture, environment and people of Canada.
The 2010 Olympic Games Inukshuk will be named Ilanaaq, which means 'friend' in the Inuit language. What better message to put out during the 2010 Winter Olympics?
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