At first, I wondered why an international panel of judges chose an Inuit-inspired symbol to represent the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. After all, the stylized stone-pile is borrowed from the inuksuk first built by the Aboriginal people of the Arctic—a long way from the west coast or anywhere else in British Columbia. 

Then Norman Hallendy, the Ontario-based author of Inuksuit—Silent Messengers of the Arctic and Tukiliit, helped me to see that the inuksuk—that is, one or more stones in any configuration—is, in fact, a perfect symbol for the Olympics.   

He explained that, like the Olympic Games themselves, inuksuit (plural of inuksuk) are ancient. Some could have been erected 3,000 years ago—around the time of the first Olympics. They’re enduring. Not even the Arctic wind knocks them down (though polar bears occasionally manage). They’re meaningful: some are navigational aids; some indicate food caches; still others are objects of veneration. They connect us to our past. They generate excitement and awe. And people travel to see them.

If you’re keen to see the real thing, head north—way north. Inuksuit are the Easter Island statues of the Arctic—and almost as remote. It takes almost a full four hours to fly from Montréal, QC to Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut. From there, fly to:

• Cape Dorset: Continueby boatto Inuksuk Point where a spectacular display of over 100 inuksuit appear to march down the hillside.
• Kimmirut: Caribou hunters built inuksuit on hilltops and at the river to frame good fishing spots.
• Qikiqtarjuaq: The self-proclaimed “iceberg capital of the world,” where a single inuksuk watches over the town from a hilltop.

Or, you could start in Winnipeg, MB and fly to:

• Rankin Inlet: It’s not old and it’s not free-standing, but this inuksuk is the biggest in Nunavut—over four m (13 ft) high.

Read more on inuksuit.