Ethnic Studies - Indigenous Peoples - General & Miscellaneous, Native American Studies

Make Your Own Inuksuk

Name: Make Your Own Inuksuk
Author: Mary Wallace
ISBN: 9781897066140

by Mary Wallace

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Overview

A beautiful and practical guide for bringing the magic of the inuksuk into your own home

Following the acclaimed and award-winning The Inuksuk Book, Make Your Own Inuksuk teaches readers how to build their very own inuksuk. Suitable for all ages, this full color book is an engaging overview of inuksuit (the plural form of inuksuk) — what they are, why they were important in the past and how they continue to have both practical and spiritual significance in our lives today.

An inuksuk is a traditional stone structure that resembles a tower, an archway or a person; it can be a variety of shapes and sizes. Powerful symbols of the Arctic, inuksuit were built by the Inuit to act as a method of communication. Inuksuit served as navigational signs guiding hunters to safe travel routes, pointed the way to good hunting and fishing grounds, directed travellers on long journeys or marked a good resting place. Today, inuksuit can also act as messages of friendship and joy, symbolize personal strength and respect to departed loved ones and show appreciation to the land.

Make Your Own Inuksuk offers clear, step-by-step instructions and practical advice on selecting and preparing stones to build a wide variety of wonderfully appealing inuksuit. It also helps readers choose a location that reflects their inuksuit's meaning, whether in a garden, at the cottage or at home.

Inuksuit are becoming increasingly popular and visible across North America. Timely and beautiful, Make Your Own Inuksuk will appeal to a wide range of markets. For children eager to discover more about the unique culture of the Inuit people, this book provides a very special introduction into many areas of their lives, from hunting to honoring their forefathers. For families looking for meaningful and interactive projects with their children, for gardeners, nature lovers and retirees, Make Your Own Inuksuk is an ideal way to bring serenity and personal expression into our lives.

Author Biography: Mary Wallace has spent almost 20 years teaching arts and crafts. Her earlier book The Inuksuk Book (now in its fourth printing) won the prestigious National Outdoor Book Award. Mary is also the author of the award-winning I Can Make series of books, which has won honors from the Parents' Choice foundation. Mary Wallace currently teaches art and lives in St. Thomas, Ontario.

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Editorials

Children's Literature

Although this book is billed as a children's work, garden enthusiasts should give it serious consideration. An "inuksuk" is an Inuit sculpture made of balanced stones, an ancient tradition that did everything from directing travelers to signaling the presence of game. Wallace, who also wrote The Inuksuk Book, suggests cross-cultural applications for these serene and lovely works. They could be welcoming signs, frames for sunsets, memorials for special people, directional works within a landscape. Wallace's photos of the inuksuit (plural) she has built are graceful and lovely. What a wonderful family project it could be to build inuksuit, especially at a new home or in a new garden. It could also be a great class project for teachers who plan units about the Arctic or Canada. 2001, Owl Books, $18.95 and $8.95. Ages 6 up. Reviewer:Donna Freedman

School Library Journal

Gr 2-6-Every once in a while, a very special book that quietly communicates a sense of wonder, beauty, and spiritual connectedness comes along. This is such a book. Inuksuit are carefully balanced stone sculptures that were built by the Inuit to communicate knowledge or a message from one person to another. They might show the way to the camp, point to the moon, or commemorate a special event or friend. Today, Inuksuit are often built in the shape of human figures. The author provides step-by-step instructions on how to create a nine-stone inuksuk, where to place it, and the types of expression one can give it. Helpful information is also provided on where to find stones. The text is interspersed with often-dramatic, full-color photographs of stones in different settings and different light. Combine this title with Byrd Baylor's Everybody Needs a Rock (Scribner, 1974) for a unit on rock art. Wallace's The Inuksuk Book (Owl, 1999) has more information on the life of the Inuit. Once they read Inuksuk, readers will never again look at rocks in the same way.-Dona J. Helmer, College Gate School Library, Anchorage, AK Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.