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Inuksuit - Old School Navigation

Inuksuk - Alaskan Navigational Aids

Back before hand-held GPS devices were readily available, we used to mark our trail by occasionally breaking a tree branch or tying a piece of surveyors tape to a limb. Hansel and Gretel left a trail of breadcrumbs to help them find their way home, and we all know how well that worked.

Inukshuk - Alaskan Navigation

A barren landscape combined with a sun that refuses to rise or set (as the seasons go) makes navigating in the far north a bit of a challenge. While this may look like an ordinary stack of rocks, these inuksuit (plural) have been used for thousands of years in the deep north where there are precious few natural landmarks.

Inuksuit have been used as landmarks to identify game trails, fertile hunting grounds, food caches, safe or dangerous river crossings, or serve as caution warnings. As navigation aids, inuksuit serve as a compass showing the way home or to a navigational point of reference such as true north or the north star.

Inuksuit - slightly heavier than a GPS... but you won't have to worry about your batteries dying. :)

Posted by Fairbanks Alaska Real Estate Specialists Jesse & Kathy Clifton 907-699-6024 on 10/02/2009 02:38 PM

Comments (35)

Inuksuit in the Regional (Localism) Channel

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Originally posted at: Fairbanks Ak Real Estate News & Info: Inuksuit - Old School Navigation

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35 Comments on Inuksuit - Old School Navigation

OCT

Hi Jesse and Kathy. After my time in Alaska this past August, we had leaned about the Inuksuit. It was very interesting and your explaination mirrors what we were told. I am glad to hear that!

Jesse...

I had never heard of these ... thanks for the education!

Featured in the Group "Square Pegs"

This is absolutely fascinating. Thanks.

The rock formations may have meaning. However, they are also quite, quite beautiful.

As usual your photography work is wonderful and the shot is just gorgeous... the information tops that! I have to reblog this one ! thanks

Jesse - Very interesting.... Ah old school remedies are always the best and yes no batteries.... Cool Post!

William - I'm sorry our schedules didn't come together while you were here. Next time we'll do better!

Richard - Thanks for the feature my friend

Lenn - Thank you. Some of the formations are very beautiful.

What a cool system! Great geocache spot, too. ;-)

Jesse,

I was a bit confused first as there were both the original post and reblog on the first page.

Anyway, I do not think that you are fair. Yes, weight is a disadvantage, but no batteries needed is a definite advantage.

It all depends on how you look at that (LOL)

Good evening Mr. Jesse,

I am trying to figure out how you know what they are telling you. I guess it is something you learn the longer you live there.

I've seen something similar out in the wilds of Utah... hhmmm...

Stacking rocks are used for many different things all over to mark something or other. We have many places here where you'll see them as tributes to lost fisherman, or at ancient hawaiian spiritual sites. Nice relation to the GPS :)

Well I must say I learned something new today that's very unique. Thanks Jesse.

Very cool, but kind of hard to navigate. How can I fit them on my dash? ;-)

Stacking rocks makes more sense than leaving bread crumbs in the wilderness :-)

This is so cool... I saw it on FB, but I LIKE that it's a feature.

Hi Jesse, I like the photo and the explanation. Many people in Red Feather have stacked small rocks like these at property corners - I can't tell from your photo how large the rocks are - they are very beautiful.

Jesse, this is so cool and beautiful! Thanks for sharing this part of Alaskan folklore with us.

I LOVE these! I have an inuksuk pin I wear when traveling (for getting straight to my destination and back) and a beautiful carved, wooden inuksuk as a souvenir of my love of northern climes!

Jesse, this is very fascinating...the Indians used markings as well.

Hi Jesse and Kathy. That is fascinating. I am Hawaiian and there are navigational tools that are accurate and precise and are used to navigate canoes. This topic fascinates me :-) ~ Lana

Jesse & Kathy, the stacked stones reminds me of something I saw in Aruba. In Arub there is a place called Wishing Stone Beach where stones are stacked but only three high. Someone places a stone on top of the other representing a wish of health, wealth and happiness. The wisher is to meditate on each wish as the stone is placed. You may not take stones from other stacks, the only things to disturb a stack are the elements...I didn't thing to take pictures of it...next time!

How cool. Mankind has always had a creative streak and as they say, "Necessity is the mother of invention"

Jessie - You have a very creative mind when it comes to posting blogs, great story, simple photograph and featured by "The Gods"

Congrats buddy and I really want to photograph "The Northern Lights' in your home town!

VB ;o)

Hi Jesse - Interesting. I used to take my kids backpacking and when we would be in an area with criss-crossing trails or no real trails, I would pile up rocks to indicate whether to take the left one or the right one or whatever clue I needed to find our way back or come the same way again.

Sometimes the following year we'd go back and could find a campsite that we especially loved by following our old markers - still there. I didn't know I was building Inuksuit!

OCT

Great picture and article. I try to learn something new everyday - so no I can go to bed happy that I did. Thanks.

Simon

I learn something about your lovely area each time I read your posts. This was wonderful!

Jesse, I remember these from when I lived up your way many moons ago...

Helping you live your American dream...

Neat info ! Those are beautiful Alaskan photos as well.

Linda Metallo, Re/max Impact, Lockport, Il.

Hi Jesse! I hope you and Kathy are doing well! We need to catch up on your 'retirement' plans someday!! ;-)

What a neat replacement for the GPS--far more beautiful and you're right, you don't have to worry about the batteries dying!

Have a great weekend...

So, Jesse, what are these rocks telling you? Does that little arm sticking out at the right mean you're supposed to stay to the right? The fact that the first pile has small stones at the bottom, larger ones in the middle and smaller stones at the top say the middle of the river is deep? What do the rocks in your photo say? You know, just in case I ever run across them in my travels and need to know what they mean.

OCT

Beautiful picture and interesting too. Landmarks are great when giving directions! Thanks!

OCT

Great composition and great info! Never heard of it.. you are a fountain of information Darlin'!

OCT

Jesse, Very interesting! Thanks! And now I'll turn it over to Ian.

"Santa knows about Inuksuit," mutters Ian. "So do I 'cause we live up in this neck of the woods. But we need to get Santa to modernize a bit."

In my recently published Christmas novel, Ian, one of Santa's helpers, tries to convince Santa of the benefits of using GPS. You know, just in case something was to happen to Rudolph. Santa is reluctant to change. But Ian has an opportunity to accompany Santa on Christmas Eve and what happens next will go down in history!

All the best!

Eric Dana Hansen

Author of "IAN, CEO, North Pole"

http://www.ianceonorthpole.com