WHAT IS AN INUKSHUK?

This afternoon I went to a picnic in a remote area of Fayette County with a group of friends and saw my first Inukshuk. I had never heard of it before so I did some Internet research when I got home.

Inukshuks have been around for thousands of years. They are a stacking of rocks in a certain way and were used as land markers and for survival. They were built of rocks and marked a fishing site, or hunting site, which would provide food for the survival of the tribes.

The log cabin, where the picnic was held, was built in the early 1950's and has remained in the owner's family since its inception. It is a rustic old cabin with four bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room, dining room, and kitchen. A large fireplace in the center of the room would heat both sides of the living area. An old record player and many old-timer records were on display, as well as an old piano. It was a beautiful display of the quiet, olden-days type of living. I noticed in one bedroom there was an old antique radio (no television).

I found the area quiet, peaceful, full of green grass and trees, and a perfect weekend get-away for the busy person who wants to get away from the modern life. It even had a very old refrigerator in the kitchen; the kind with the revolving shelves.


The owner told us that she built her Inukshuk based on the new traditional meaning or translation, to mean 'someone was here' so others would know it was her cabin.

It was a wonderful late afternoon of learning and experiencing life in the old days where no modern conveniences were the sign of those times.