The Inukshuk was the inspiration for the 'modern day' version known as the Ilanaaq, which is the logo for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and is an emblem of what Canada stands for and also for its history of First Nations groups and art. This large stone Inukshuk sits atop Whistler Mountain, located at 2182 metres or 7160 feet in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. Whistler is one of the sites of the Vancouver 2010 games that are all set to take place in February 2010.
An Inukshuk is a symbol that has been used for centuries to guide the Inuit through the Arctic terrain and if you were to ever cross the Canadian arctic, you would see many different kinds of Inukshuk; some more precisely carved such as this one here, and some made out of many different shapes and styles of stones.
The Ilanaaq was designed by Elena Rivera MacGregor, a Vancouver based artist, and was chosen by a group of judges to be the logo and mascot of the games. ... continue below the picture...
... Ilanaaq means 'friend' in the native Inuit Inuktitut language and symbolizes not only the friendliness of the Canadian people to welcome the world for the games, but also the friendly environment that Olympic games create when people come from all over the world to compete in friendly competition.
Large stone Inukshuk - Ilanaaq (the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games emblem) atop Whistler Mountain (2182 metres/7160 feet), Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.
Technical Information:
I photographed this photo with the digital SLR camera model Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III, aperture of f/7.1, exposure time of 1/320 sec. on ISO 100, as always I used a original Canon Lens, the focus lenght for this picture was 16mm.