Inuksuk

What I can see

Inuksuks are anthropomorphic stone sculptures of the indigenous Inuit people of North America and Greenland, where they are also found. They date back to ancient times and are of various sizes. By the direction of their hands, inuksuks indicated hunting grounds, places of religious worship, fishing grounds and camps. In other words, it was an ancient navigator, an ancient GPS. “Inuk” means person and “suk” substitute. Therefore, inuksuk means the object that has human form and acts on human’s behalf. The Inuksouk of Thessaloniki is a contemporary stone sculpture, made by the architect Giorgos Pavlidis, and has been donated by the Canadian embassy. In front of the sculpture, there is an explanatory sign in Greek, English and French.

What I can't see

The original location of the sculpture was at the corner of Agias Sophias and Mackenzie King Streets. This small corner was named Canada Park, in honour of 70 years of Greek-Canadian friendship and diplomacy and in honour of the politician Mackenzie King, who strongly supported Greece against the Germans during the Nazi occupation. In that location, the sculpture had fallen victim to vandalism several times and the Canadian consulate requested its transfer. Most inuksuks are found on Canada’s Baffin Island, which has been designated a World Heritage Site and National Historic Site.

Info

• Address: Courtyard of Archaeological Museum

Bibliography