Inukshuk (singular) means "likeness of a person" in Inuktitut (Inuit language) and is a well known symbol in Northern Canada. They are made of rock slabs, large and small and built into the shape of a person with their arms or legs stretched or more traditionally, piles of well mapped out rocks.
Inuksuit (plural) are used to guide or channel caribou into areas where Inuit can easily harvest them. An open leg on an Inukshuk found near water or a coastline points to an open channel for passage to navigate your way, and if the Inukshuk is in the middle of land, the open leg points towards a valley as a route to pass through the mountains.
The open (longer) arm of an Inukshuk points you in the direction you should be going. A marker Inukshuk placed near a lake shows that the fish can be found in the lake at the exact same distance the Inukshuk is placed from the shoreline. Stone markers also mark food caches along a path.
This Inukshuk was photographed in Vancouver, BC.
