What is the meaning behind the rock piles along the highways in Canada?

Question

While vacationing in Canada, I noticed that alongside the highway there were regular piles of rocks. These piles would be anywhere from 5 to 30 largish rocks making a basic structure, and were clearly placed by humans rather than naturally occurring. What is the significance behind these?

Answer 1

Yeah they are everywhere in Canada. Here is an "official" description for you:

Inukshuk (singular), meaning "likeness of a person" in Inuktitut (the Inuit language) is a stone figure made by the Inuit. The plural is inuksuit. The Inuit make inuksuit in different forms and for different purposes: to show directions to travellers, to warn of impending danger, to mark a place of respect, or to act as helpers in the hunting of caribou. Similar stone figures were made all over the world in ancient times, but the Arctic is one of the few places where they still stand. An inukshuk can be small or large, a single rock, several rocks balanced on each other, round boulders or flat. Inuit tradition forbids the destruction of inuksuit.

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What is the meaning behind the rock piles along the highways in Canada?
While vacationing in Canada, I noticed that alongside the highway there were regular piles of rocks. These piles would be anywhere from 5 to 30 largish rocks making a basic structure, and were clearly placed by humans rather than naturally occurring. What is the significance behind these?

Answer 3

The rock piles north of Dryden Canada. As you round the curve there was a single lone stone placed on a high rock outcropping positioned for the travelers driving north to Ear Falls to see. Around the next curve is two and then the next has three piled up.More and more and recognizable shapes appear too. The sky behind them makes them easy to see. One is of a Styger tractor, etc.
An artist or student of art traveled the route and built the many artistic rock piles. They maybe in a book too. I am still looking for that book.
Vikings also built cairns through out the Hudson Bay shoreline to mark the route to Vinland.

Answer 4

I doubt he's talking about Innukshuks. He was probably driving through the shield.

Basically, if big rocks are in the way when they were building the road, they would just pile them up beside where the road was to get them out of the way. There's no significance, it was just easier than trying to take them away somewhere else. However, they have to expropriate all the land they use, so they make a pile every once in a while instead of just dropping each rock where they find it so that they don't have to use as much land beside the road.

Answer 5

Unless the piles were stacked to look sort of human, they were not Inukshuks.
I have seen many piles as and I believe the department of highways stacks them. When they are constructing a road there are bound to be lots of rocks in different sizes and where else would they put them?
As well, they could be used to mark miles.

Answer 6

I think you might be referring to "Inukshuks". They are made by the Inuit people, you probably saw them while you were on a road or highway passing through their land or maybe while hiking in the woods. Inukshuks are used for directional purposes to find your way from one place to another. The same we use landmarks to remember how to get places. The actual meaning of the word inukshuk is "something which acts for or performs the function of a person". They are also used to mark a place of respect, help in the caribou hunt, or a warning of danger.

Answer 7

Inukshuks...as an American i learned about them through my Canadian friends online..i actually built one myself down here in Louisiana using rocks i collected from other parts of the country. It is a native way of showing the way for travellers. When i visited Ontario last year i enjoyed seeing all the Inukshuks along the way. I think it is fantastic art. Keeps you wondering who built them and when? They change all along the way..different sizes, etc.

Answer 8

If there are horses or cattle inside the fence, they could stumble on the stones and end up with a broken leg. We used to do the same thing when I was a boy.

Answer 9

you may have seen an inukshuk (if i spelled it right)

these are markers left by native peoples usually stacked to resemble a person to either lead a path or just to say that they were there

its beeing used as the logo/symbol for the 2010 games

Answer 10

What Is An Inukshuk