I is for Inukshuk

When Canadians found out that the symbol for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC would be the inukshuk, everyone said, "What? What's an inukshuk?" Thus, there was quite a lot of controversy over the choice. Why, you might wonder.

Well, an inukshuk is a sort of stone landmark built by the Inuit and other Arctic peoples. They may have been used for navigation, as a point of reference, a marker for hunting grounds, or as a food cache and are distinctive in their design. The modern structure is meant to represent a human figure and is a symbol of hospitality and friendship.

There is an inukshuk at English Bay in downtown Vancouver, but not many people have known anything about it since it was erected in 1986 as a gift from artist Alvin Kanak of the Northwest Territories. Here it is sitting on a knoll overlooking Burrard Inlet.

Therefore, when the inukshuk became the symbol for this year's Olympics, people were aghast and wondered why something so symbolic of the North was chosen to represent all of Canada when 99% of Canadian knew nothing about it.

But, like everything, we became educated about our own native peoples and their culture and accepted the inukshuk. I think everyone in the world will now think of Canada whenever they see an inukshuk. This is the one that was erected in Whistler where all the skiing and sledding events took place.

And thus endeth my ABC Wednesday posts relating to the Olympics. The Paralympics will be over this coming weekend and life will go on. To see other posts for ABC Wednesday, just click here and then click on anyone's link to see what they've done this week.