Tuesday, March 24, 2009

A little magic in the middle of nowhere..




In October when Sir and i took a run up the 401 highway...... i was surprised to see a large Inukshuk on a rock top. i saw it .. then it was gone as we sped along. A few kilometers further on i spied another one.. smaller - hard to see - but there nevertheless. Every so often i would spy another. The whole episode excited my imagination. Who would build and leave these monuments - these road markers??

For those that don't know .. an Inukshuk is a symbol of hope and friendship for the Inuit. Acting as a marker these stacked rocks in human form have provided steadfast guidance across the vast Canadian North. Over time the Inukshuk have become a national symbol of Canada's Great White North and the Inuit people.

And here they were dotting the landscape along the vast 401 - far from the wilds of the Great Canadian North.

Over the months i had forgotten about that lil miracle of culture....... but on Saturday speeding our way to Kingston i spied them again.. and again. Of course my camera was in the back - tucked into my suitcase. Sir scolded me for not keeping it with me at all times - easily accessible for moments just like that.

i can't help but wonder - imagine - muse over the person who built these symbols. What was their purpose in doing so?? who were they guiding?? (after all there are practical road signs and markers put out by the people who do those things)

As we piled all our stuff into the car for the drive home on Sunday - Sir reminded me to keep my camera close.... and when we got to the first one..... (the others are just too small ) Sir whipped the car over on to the soft shoulder and i hopped out... and snapped a picture of that very first Inukshuk marking the path to........... who knows where.........



but somehow i feel a little bit safer knowing someone has left a sign of friendship and guidance along the vast highway that runs from one end of Canada to the other.......


6 comments:

  1. how cool is that! I'm going to look for them on my nezt trip to montreal. D. has built two in our front garden; small ones but I love them!

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  2. Anonymous7:44 am

    I wonder if this has anything to do with the Olympics?

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  3. I'd never heard of such a thing until a few weeks ago while driving to Winnipeg. Someone was making one out of snow. I thought it was a bit strange. After Kat explained it to me I still thought it was a bit weird to be doing with snow, but otherwise interesting.

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  4. What a wonderful cultural tradition! I've never heard of Inukshuks, but will be looking for them to share with my children.

    Thank you for sharing!
    swan

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  5. Friendship comes in many forms.

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  6. Hmmm .... I will have to keep my eyes open for them on my trip up to ... hey! YOUR neck of the woods (kinda)!

    I am fascinated ... and they are lovely!

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