ᐊᓂᔮᕐᓂᖅ
[ANIJAARNIQ]
WHAT IS WAYFINDING?
People around the world use different methods of wayfinding. These are usually based on their observation and understanding of the environment in which they live. Natural landmarks such as hills, cliffs, islands, valleys, and river bends are most often used. The position of certain stars, the direction of winds, the shape of snow and sand drifts, and even the movement of animals and birds, are also used for finding direction, especially, when familiar landmarks can not be seen.
HUBERT AMARUALIK
on why so few practice the Anijaarniq tradition today.
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- HUBERT AMARUALIK
Q. In your early life, you had to observe the weather every day, but for us we just go out in the morning and see what kind of weather it is, and nothing more than today's weather is observed. You did more than just observing the day's weather, didn't you?
A. Yes, we had to anijaaq... go out immediately after dressing in the morning. We would observe the conditions of the sky, the kinds of clouds, and the position of the stars. Today, I don't even do that anymore. I listen to the radio to hear the weather forecasts. It was different before; we had to observe the weather, watching the clouds, and wind directions all the time (Hubert Amarualik IE-314, 1994).