Have you met Inuky? That is what I call my brick inuksuk. An inuksuk is a stone monument used by the Inuit as a marker for special places, interesting places, marking trails or location of food or people, navigation, or migration routes of the caribou.
Inuk means person and suk means substitute. An inunnguag is a form of inuksuk that represents a human form. It usually has arms and symbolizes the presence of humans, perhaps informing Inuit whalers of a meeting place.
Inuky has been in many places in the garden … the end of the old, old deck, a spot in the honeysuckle garden, at the side of the house and more.
The birds have perched on its head and once I turned Inky into a model for a scarf I had just finished.
I even have a knitted Inuky. If you would like to knit your own you can find the pattern here. It was a fun way to try out different knitting stitches and use up scraps at the same time.
This photo was taken a few years ago and how this area has changed since. The honeysuckle garden has gone through many changes and additions.
Here is the honeysuckle garden in 2014. So many changes from the previous photo. Inuky liked looking over the garden from this spot but it seemed that when the garden tractor went by he got scared and fell down, well that is what the driver of the garden tractor said! I did move it to a spot beside the workbench at the end of the season (no photos) so I don’t know where it will be positioned in the garden for 2015.
Then a year or two ago I found some more bricks handmade a second Inuky and placed it on the path garden.
It’s a balancing act to keep Inky standing and a strong wind or a garden tractor going past will knock him over. I always use 8 bricks … 2 upright for the legs, 2 for the body base, 2 for the arms and 2 for there body. The head is a roundish rock. Although not an authentic inuksuk it is certainly a conversation starter for visitors to the garden.
One of the other things I learned is that this word can be spelled different ways … inuksuk … inukshuk … and the plural is inuksuit. Many people create inuksuit along the sides of the highways and on the rock cliffs. One day I would love to see an original inuksuk created by the Inuit.
I’m sharing with ABC Wednesday, and the letter of the week is I. I for inuksuk.
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