March 21st-My Presentation Day!

Finally the day has come, it was my day to present! I chose to do my topic on Inukshuks, which I find to be fascinating structures. What I didn’t know before researching my topic was there are so many different types of these stone structures, but I choose to do mine specifically on what most people are familiar with, the Inukshuk.

The Inukshuk (translation: “capacity of a human”) is a structure that is made out of stone, whether it be a single stone placed upright or a multitude of stones, which in that case, the building of the Inukshuk is generally a community effort. These stone structures are essential for survival in the North. In times when the cell phone didn’t, they served as a great form of communication between travellers on the land. Inukshuks are also a great navigational tool, often built to show the best route home. They also have an astrological significance, as they point in the direction of the North Star. Lastly, Inukshuks are built to showcase good hunting and fishing grounds. These are just a few of the meanings that I focused on as the Inukshuk has a long list of functions. I found out that the destruction of Inukshuks is forbidden in the North, which is quite interesting when you think of how many Inukshuks are probably built. 

I then focused on the "Inukshuk in Action", showing two applications of the Inukshuk. The first was the Inukshuk on the Nunavut flag. It is red in color and represents the Canadian Flag in their culture. The Inukshuk has also recently been used in the 2010 Vancouver Olympic symbol. It was picked as a symbol because of the values of both Canada and the Olympics. It also showcases togetherness and the bringing of countries together. 

I raised three different discussion questions and I will leave them on here for you to ponder over....

1. Do you think that the Inukshuk is a reliable way of navigation? Why or why not?

2. Do you think that it is important that the Inukshuks are kept on the landscape? 

3. Was the Inukshuk properly portrayed in the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games?

After my presentation was Josh W., who presented on Grizzly Bears and how they interact with humans. He started off his presentation with a short video, showcasing the "Grizzly Salmon Thief". 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVgpQVTmr3M

The scientific name of the Grizzly Bear is the Ursos Arctos Horribilis. Female Grizzly Bears weigh between 300-600 pounds and males around 500-1000 pounds. Grizzlies can move at astoundingly fast speeds, reaching upwards of 48 km/h. They are considered to be omnivores, meaning they pretty much each anything and everything. 

The number one rule when hunting in Grizzly Areas is to get whatever you're hunting before the grizzly tracks the dead animals. Grizzly Bears now associate gunshots with animals carcasses and are no longer scared of coming right up close to humans. This is a scary fact, one that is showcased in the Salmon Thief video. I know I don't ever want to come that close to a grizzly bear!

It is also suggested that if you are attacked by a Grizzly Bear, it is best to lie face down while covering your head with your arms, and to try to stay as still as possible. I feel like this would be the last thing that anyone would be thinking of doing in the heat of the moment. I would be tempted to run away from the darn thing (obviously not a good idea!)!

http://env.gov.nu.ca/wildlife/resources/speciesmanagement/grizzlybear

Grizzly Bears in Nunavut

We then ended off the class with a game of Jeopardy! 

My questions were:

Name one of the importances of the Inukshuk.

What does the Inukshuk stand for?

What does the red color of the Inukshuk on the Nunavut flag represent?

And the daily double question....

How many "stones" are in the Inukshuk in the Olympic symbol?

My sources for information and pictures include:

-Book: Tukiliit – The Stone People Who Live in The Wind by Norman Hallendy

-http://www.uqqurmiut.com/Territory%20of%20Nunavut.html

-http://web.poptower.com/winter-olympics-2010.htm

-http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Inukshuk%2C_Whistler.jpg

-http://www2.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/archives/story.html?id=4a5f5edd-04ed-40fe-80e4-a2a49b61b789

-http://www.soci.ubc.ca/fileadmin/template/main/images/departments/soci/Admin_Files/Socihead/Sojourners/ Vol_1.pdf#page=69

-http://www2.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/archives/story.html?id=4a5f5edd-04ed-40fe-80e4-a2a49b61b789

It feels so great to finally be done my presentation! I was a little nervous presenting it to the class but overall I think it went pretty well and now I can sit back, relax, and enjoy the rest of the presentation!

Janelle