Southside in Toledo in Lucas County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Inuksuk
(in-uk-shuk) Inuit translation: "something resembling a man."
Photographed By Craig Doda, May 7, 2023
1. Inuksuk Marker
Legend of the Arctic
The men of an ancient village were away on a hunting trip. Left alone, the women caught fish at the edge of the ice. Suddenly, the ice on which they stood broke away from shore and all the women were lost at sea. Long after their screams quieted, their husbands returned. In great sadness, the men built an inuksuk—one for each drowned woman—to call for the return of their souls from the terrible sea.
Why build an Inuksuk?
Navigation
• Hunters built inuksuks in order to guide them over the continually changing temin. Aronic shorelines change daily as ice breaks, melts and reforms.
• Hunters would look through the hole in the center of the inuksuk, line up two distinct inuksaks and follow them to known destinations.
• The inuksuk guided them to villages, bind colonies, caribou paths or places where extra meat was buried in the frozen ground.
Prayer
• Inuksuks were built as spiritual shrines. Hunters would visit and offer food and prayer prior to a long journey or hunt, or to honor lost loved ones.
Hunting
• Rows of inuksuks were built to funnel herds of migrating caribou into a ravine where hunters waited to ambush them. Women and children would jump out from behind the inuksuk and scare the herdinto the fatal trap.
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Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Native Americans • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lost at Sea series list.
Location. 41° 37.24′ N, 83° 34.976′ W. Marker is in Toledo, Ohio, in Lucas County. It is in Southside. Marker can be reached from Hippo Way, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2 Hippo Way, Toledo OH 43609, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Toledo Zoo - Celebrating A Century of Adventure (within shouting distance of this marker); Le Le & Nan Nan (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Skeldon Plaza (about 400 feet away); Thomas H. Anderson (about 500 feet away); The Toledo Zoo / Toledo's Canals (about 500 feet away); Amur Tiger (about 600 feet away); Human expansion in Europe likely led to the extinction of the cave bear (about 600 feet away); Snow Leopard (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Toledo.
Photographed By Craig Doda, May 7, 2023
2. Inuksuk Marker
Photographed By Craig Doda, May 7, 2023
3. Inuksuk Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 24, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 13, 2023, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 59 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 13, 2023, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
