Glossary & Inuit Terms

amulet – sacred object designed to bring good luck or keep away bad luck

blubber – fat from whale or other sea animal. When the fat is melted, oil is extracted.

cache – place for hiding or storing

caribou – type of large reindeer

cat's cradle – a string game – a favorite of children and adults

harpoon – a spear-like weapon which has a sharp tip, a long pole and an attached line

igloo – temporary dome-shaped shelters made of blocks of hard-packed snow

iglu – Inuit word for house

igluigaq – snowhouse (the Inuit word for what is commonly known as igloo)

Inuk – one person

Inuit – (pronounced IN-yoo-it) - "the people" or "human beings" and the name the Inuit give themselves

inuksuit – (pronounced in-NUK-sweet) - plural of inuksuk

inuksuk – (pronounced in-NUK-shuk) stone figure which acts in the capacity of a human (see below for glossary of terms related to inuksuk)

Inuktitut – Inuit language

kamik – shoes made of animal skins such as sealskin

karmat – square or rectangular house built over a shallow pit, then covered with sod

kayak – narrow boat for one person made of animal skins stretched over a frame made from bone or wood

komatik – dogsled

mukluks – boots made of animal skins

nuna – Inuit word for "the land"

nuglagaqtuq – a favorite Inuit game

parka – a hooded coat

permafrost – a layer of permanently frozen soil

shaman – a Native American healer believed to possess the special skills needed to understand and heal injuries or illness, and have contact with the spirit world

taboos – a set of rituals or rules of actions to avoid, designed to please powerful spirits

tuktu – the caribou

tundra – treeless land in the Arctic

ulu – curved knife

umiak – large skin-covered boats used to move people and goods or to hunt large sea animals, such as whales

Inuksuk Glossary *terms to describe more detailed types, features and functions of inuksuit

Inuksuk – ancient stone figures – a general term which means "that which acts in the capacity of a human"

Inuksuit – plural of inuksuk

Innunguaq – (frequently spelled inunnguaq) meaning "in the likeness of a human" - type of inuksuk that is human shaped

Some general types of inuksuit:

inuksuapik – the most beautiful of the inuksuk

inuksuk quviaasunnirmik – an inuksuk that expresses joy

inuksutuqaaluk – an ancient inuksuk

inuksutuqaq – an old inuksuk

inuksuviniq – the remains of an old inuksuk

inutsuliutuinnaqtuq – an inuksuk with no function; one was built to pass the time while waiting

sakamaktaq - a great inuksuk that demonstrates the strength of its builder

Some Inuksuit terms related to hunting:

aulaqqut – roughly meaning "scarecrow" - an inuksuk used to frighten caribou, often to influence their direction of travel

inuksuk aiviqaijuqarnir – an inuksuk that marks a good place to hunt walrus

inuksuk iqaluqarniraijuq – an inuksuk that indicates a good place to fish

inuksuk natsiqarniraijuq – an inuksuk that signals a good place to hunt seals

inuksuit tuktunnutiit – small inuksuit topped with moss or antlers, used to frighten and steer caribou toward hunters

pirujaqarvik – an inuksuk that marks a cache of meat

Some Inuksuit terms related to travel or navigation:

ikaarvik – an inuksuk that signals a good place to cross a river

inuksualuk – a large inuksuk made of stacked thin flat stones, used as a directional marker

inuksuk nangiaruatimik qaujimalitaq - an inuksuk that warns of danger

niungvaliruluit – a window-shaped inuksuk used for sighting or aligning

turaaq – an inuksuk that is simply a flat stone pointing to the direction of the best (perhaps quickest) way home

Some figures which are inuksuit-like:

innunguaq – (frequently spelled inunnguaq) meaning "in the likeness of a human" - type of inuksuk that is human shaped

inuksuk inuktaqarniraijuq – an inuksuk-like figure (with arms) to symbolize the presence of humans

inuksuralaaq – a small inuksuk-like figure made of snow; used for a game of target practice

Some objects of reverence which are inuksuit-like:

angaku'habvik – an inuksuk-like structure in which shamans were initiated and received their powers

inuksuk nalunaikkutaq pimmariusimajumut – an inuksuk-like structure that marks the place of an important event

inuksuk nalunaikkutaq tuquvviusimajumut – an inuksuk-like object which marks the place of a killing

inuksunirlik – an inuksuk-like structure created to cast a spell

kappianaqtuq inuksuk – a frightening inuksuk structure

tunillarvik – a single, unusual stone resembling a simple inuksuk believed to possess spiritual power

tupqujaq – a large inuksuk-like structure, shaped like a doorway, through which a shaman enters the spirit world

*Special acknowledgment to Norman Hallendy for his compilation of terms found in his book Inuksuit: Silent Messengers of the Arctic. The above adapted glossary provides just a sampling of terms listed in his Appendix: Inuksuk Types, Functions and Related Features (pgs. 116 -117.)