INUKSUGATTIAT, the stone cairns (or beacons)
Geolocation
Citation
Céline Petit, “INUKSUGATTIAT, the stone cairns (or beacons),” String figures, accessed February 24, 2026, https://stringfigures.huma-num.fr/items/show/283.
- Overall presentation
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Name : INUKSUGATTIAT, the stone cairns (or beacons)
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Creator : Céline Petit
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Contributor(s) : Herve PANIAQ, Iglulik, Nunavut, Canada
Celina IRNGAUT, Iglulik, Nunavut, Canada (interpreter) -
Date : 2015-2021
- Information on the string figure
This string figure depicts several inuksugait (sing. - inuksugaq) or small inuksuit (sing. - inuksuk), traditional cairns or 'beacons' made of stones that provide information about game or directions in particular. By repeating the same couple of operations on the loop, one can create a new inuksugaq (and thus as many as desired, depending on the length on the string loop). After the presentation of the final figure, one pattern representing an inuksugaq (inuksugannguaq) can be removed, to pretend that one of them falls over (urrujuq).
This figure, which is identified as 'simple' by Iglulingmiut elders, seems to have been documented only in a few Inuit societies of the Central and Eastern Canadian Arctic. It has been recorded mostly in the 'North Baffin' area at large, under the same name (inuksugatsiaq/inuksugattiat) referring to cairn(s). However, a similar figure was apparently collected among the Kitlinirmiut (Inuinnait, 'East Copper') as depicting many people gathered in a qaggiq - dancing/ceremonial house (Rasmussen 1932: 272, no method of making documented though).
This string game may also be compared to other string figures with mainly local occurrences that are based on the same principles of 1/ forming several similar 'loop' patterns (= iterating small loops) by repeating the same operation or couple of moves on the string and 2/ removing or dissolving them one by one to represent the disappearance of a particular object or character (a cairn falling down, a drum dancer leaving, or a bird flying away, as in the figure 'Tingmiarjuit' documented by Mary-Rousselière among the Arviligjuarmiut of Pelly Bay, 1969 : 34-35, fig. 30).
This figure, which is identified as 'simple' by Iglulingmiut elders, seems to have been documented only in a few Inuit societies of the Central and Eastern Canadian Arctic. It has been recorded mostly in the 'North Baffin' area at large, under the same name (inuksugatsiaq/inuksugattiat) referring to cairn(s). However, a similar figure was apparently collected among the Kitlinirmiut (Inuinnait, 'East Copper') as depicting many people gathered in a qaggiq - dancing/ceremonial house (Rasmussen 1932: 272, no method of making documented though).
This string game may also be compared to other string figures with mainly local occurrences that are based on the same principles of 1/ forming several similar 'loop' patterns (= iterating small loops) by repeating the same operation or couple of moves on the string and 2/ removing or dissolving them one by one to represent the disappearance of a particular object or character (a cairn falling down, a drum dancer leaving, or a bird flying away, as in the figure 'Tingmiarjuit' documented by Mary-Rousselière among the Arviligjuarmiut of Pelly Bay, 1969 : 34-35, fig. 30).
1. Hold the string between L1 and L2. R12 seizes the right side of the string loop and the RH goes by the far side (outwards) toward the LH in such a way to form a small loop pointing upward. R12 hold the loop thus formed at its bottom (crossing part) while L23 enter distally (= from the far side) into this loop and L45 hook down (or 'secure') the string hanging on the left.
2. Bend L3 (on the crossing part of the small loop), remove R12 and repeat the same move: holding the right hanging string between R1 and R2, quite close to LH, RH goes 'behind' LH thus forming another small 'erected' loop. R1 and R2 seize it at its bottom and L23 enter distally into this loop. Press L1 against/under L3 (L2 pointing upward) to secure the bottom part of L23 double loops, and remove R12.
3. Proceed as in step 2 to create a third loop that is transferred to L23 (and becomes distal L23 loop), remove R12. (Repeat the process if more loops are desired).
4. Holding the right hanging string between R1 and R2, insert distally R12 into L23 triple loops (or more), then insert proximally L1 into L23 loops so that the string held in between R1 and R2 is now held also between L1 and L2.
5. Insert distally (= from the far side) R4 (or R3/R5) into the small loop 'hanging' which is formed at the bottom by the string held by L12 (and by R12). R4 pulls it towards the right while L12 and R12 still hold what becomes the upper TV string (and with L45 still bent on/hooking down to the palm the string hanging down on the left). Separate hands/extend slowly and on a short distance only, while L3 enters distally/from the far side into the loop held between L1 and L2 and pulls it to the left, and R1 enters proximally into R2 loop (remove R2) and pulls towards the right. (R345 press to the RH palm the string hanging on the right).
These are the 'three small inuksuit' (inuksugait pingasut)... or possibly 'three persons' (inuit pingasut).
2. Bend L3 (on the crossing part of the small loop), remove R12 and repeat the same move: holding the right hanging string between R1 and R2, quite close to LH, RH goes 'behind' LH thus forming another small 'erected' loop. R1 and R2 seize it at its bottom and L23 enter distally into this loop. Press L1 against/under L3 (L2 pointing upward) to secure the bottom part of L23 double loops, and remove R12.
3. Proceed as in step 2 to create a third loop that is transferred to L23 (and becomes distal L23 loop), remove R12. (Repeat the process if more loops are desired).
4. Holding the right hanging string between R1 and R2, insert distally R12 into L23 triple loops (or more), then insert proximally L1 into L23 loops so that the string held in between R1 and R2 is now held also between L1 and L2.
5. Insert distally (= from the far side) R4 (or R3/R5) into the small loop 'hanging' which is formed at the bottom by the string held by L12 (and by R12). R4 pulls it towards the right while L12 and R12 still hold what becomes the upper TV string (and with L45 still bent on/hooking down to the palm the string hanging down on the left). Separate hands/extend slowly and on a short distance only, while L3 enters distally/from the far side into the loop held between L1 and L2 and pulls it to the left, and R1 enters proximally into R2 loop (remove R2) and pulls towards the right. (R345 press to the RH palm the string hanging on the right).
These are the 'three small inuksuit' (inuksugait pingasut)... or possibly 'three persons' (inuit pingasut).
"Inuksugatsiaq - cairn", Mathiassen 1928: 223, 227, fig. 198 (Tununirmiut).
"The cairn – inuk sugatsiaq", Paterson 1949: 45, fig. 144 (Craig Harbour, Ellesmere Island).
"Inuksugaciaq", Mary-Rousselière 1969: 134, 146 (Iglulik xxi)
"Qalgimatuartuurjuit - the many people gathered in the qasge [qaggiq]", Rasmussen 1932: 272, fig. 2 (East Copper/Kitlinirmiut).
"The cairn – inuk sugatsiaq", Paterson 1949: 45, fig. 144 (Craig Harbour, Ellesmere Island).
"Inuksugaciaq", Mary-Rousselière 1969: 134, 146 (Iglulik xxi)
"Qalgimatuartuurjuit - the many people gathered in the qasge [qaggiq]", Rasmussen 1932: 272, fig. 2 (East Copper/Kitlinirmiut).
- Item references
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Key words : String figure; String game; Inuit; Iglulik; Eastern Canada; Arctic
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Publisher : Laboratory SPHERE (UMR 7219, University of Paris & CNRS)
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Rights : Creative Commons / Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SA
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Language : Inuktitut ; English
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Location : Iglulik (Igloolik), Nunavut, Canada
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Description : Iglulingmiut (Amitturmiut) Inuit string figure (Nunavut, Canada): symbolism, method of construction, references to the same figure as documented among different Inuit groups (Alaska, Canada, Greenland)