found it!

and the word I'd forgotten was inukshuk. . .
"To the Inuit of the arctic region, inukshuk are stone figures made by piling rocks on top of one another, and used as direction indicators, danger warnings, monuments and hunting helpers. Inukshuks can be small, only one or two rocks, or large, consisting of many rocks used in a larger than life form. In the Inuit language inukshuk means 'likeness of a person'."Inukshuk in the form of humans are called inunnguag. One important type of inukshuk used in caribou hunting was embellished with arctic heather to simulate human hair. The inukshuk, or dummy hunters, where constructed in converging lines along migration routes and were intended to funnel the caribou towards places of ambush."

7 comments:

katherine. said...

those are amazing....

I, Like The View said...

aren't they!

I have a small wire one, on the ledge of the window sill at the front of the house who welcomes people (or "herds them in"! no, actually that doesn't happen. . .)

Mel said...

k.......they really are quite amazing.

Gonna haffta have a wander around and see what I can learn.

<-- has lots of rocks but none that have decided to make a joint effort to become one of these.....yet......

Sorrow said...

I love these, Maybe thats what I need to do, make impossible stacks of stones...

Spadoman said...

I sent you an e-mail complete with pictures of some rock things that intrigue me. These pictures do for sure as well!
Something about rocks. I like to think every one was a mountain and through time, they wore away to a grain of sand and every size in between.
From the ridiculous to the sublime is but a short leap.

peace.

I, Like The View said...

that's an intriguing thought man. . . like sand on the beach for me. . .

sorrow I'm currently experimenting with adhesives for rocks and pebbles. . .

Mel I'm loving the fact that your rocks have to make the decision to join up together

mig said...

Wow aren't they wonderful. Jung would have loved those! Inuit archetypes.