Inuksuk - Bygdøy, Oslo, Norway
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N 59° 54.223 E 010° 41.986
32V E 595077 N 6641909
This inuksuk was a gift of friendship from Canada to Norway on the occasion of the centenial celebrations in Norway and indicates the close ties between the two countires .
Waymark Code: WM9NCH
Location: Oslo, Norway
Date Posted: 09/08/2010
Views: 43
The inuksuk is in a small harbour on the Bygdøy peninsular and near the Kon-Tiki Museum.
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On June 29, 2005,The Canadian Ambassador to Norway, Mrs Shirley Wolff Serafini unveiled an inuksuk at Bygdøy Maritime Museum in Oslo. The traditional inuit sculpture is Canada's centenary gift to Norway and is given as a symbol of the special relationship there exists between our two countries of the North. State Secretary Kim Traavik of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs received the gift on behalf of Norway.
The strong ties between Norway and Canada started with the Viking visits to Newfoundland, their brief settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows, and continues through Roald Amundsen's successful exploration throught the Northwest Passage one hundred years ago. (1903-1906) During World War II Norwegian pilots trained at Little Norway, a training camp in southern Ontario. Today, our two countries share common visions on the international scene, we cooperate in fields such as Arctic Council, human security, the UN reform among others. Canada's gift to Norway recognizes the fondness our people have for each other and the importance of the relationship between the two.
It is especially poignant that the inuksuk is created by Joseph Suqslak, a resident of Gjoa Haven in Nunavut. Amundsen spent three winters in Gjoa Haven before his successful attempt at sailing the Northwest Passage. The name of the community bears witness of the visiting ship. Without the willingness of the Inuit to share their knowleddge and skills of survival in the arctic winter it is questionalble whether Amundsen would have succeeded in his attempt.
The Inuksuk is a traditional inuit sculpture erected in the landscape for navigational purposes, it is also a symbol of friendship. The inuksuk next to Gjøa at Bygdøy was installed by Mr. Mattiusi Iyaituk, and artist and President of the Board of Directors of the Inuit Art Foundation in Canada.