I make a distinction with rock balancing between what i call "rockatree" , an ephemeral sculptural expression,
and the Inuit cultural icon, the "inuksuit" I am not at all qualified to write about their traditions however the Innu
are very good at expressing themselves. Here are a few links to their wonderful world...
http://www.pinnaclefarms.ca/ORIANAsite/AboutNameandLogo/InuksukNew.html
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A cyclist passing on the highway below our 17 BC rock balancing project
looked up one afternoon and declared with a smile, " ....that they will know we were here".
Rockatree does not survive for long and leaves no clue to its' existence yet the cultural importance
cannot be denied. No other creature except a human would ever consider constructing a six rock
spire or build one on a trail in bad weather to guide those following and who in turn would push them over
to conceal the trail from others. Around a nomads camp, precariously balanced stones form a protective ring,
an early warning device and a painful surprise for unwary predators.
The transitory Art of Rockatree is an ancient practice, likely one of the very first forms
of artistic expression for humans. Imagine their flickering shadows cast on a cave wall,
an animated backdrop for dramatic tales unfolding in firelight and woodsmoke.
They are a dynamic signaling device, a method of temporarily storing information.
rockatree may be considered an early version of the post-it note.
The giant dolmens, henges and standing stones of Britain and Europe are a more permanent expression
of rockatree in the mode of purposeful vertical stone work like a pyramid or a wall.
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Some references i've found from the modern rockatree era:
George Malone, one of our Fore-bearers
found via google,
from National Geographic, sometime in the early sixties.
An amazing balanced rockatree and not a cairn which is
a permanent marker
natural forces create rockatree
ROCKING ROCKS
photo John W Bell
"What adolescent hiker has not been tempted to knock over a boulder
that is perched
insecurely by the side of the trail? With one quick shove, over goes
a rock that may have maintained itself
in an upright but vulnerable position for centuries ....perhaps
thousands of years.
It seems that good reason now exists to resist the impulse. Researchers
have started to use such
"precarious rocks" to help them determine whether a particular area may
be prone to earthquakes.
The basic premise of the technique is straightforward: seismic shaking
can easily topple delicately poised rocks;
hence, finding such rocks undisturbed indicates that no earthquakes have
occurred close by. The reasoning
is elementary; however, until now, few geologists have ever attempted
to quantify the relation between
unstable rock formations and earthquake ground motion.
Recently James N. Brune and John W. Bell of the University of Nevada
at Reno, along with several colleagues,
have started to examine various sites in the American Southwest with
an eye to gauging what the existence of
precariously balanced boulders might indicate about the likelihood of
earthquakes."
excerpt from Scientific American, April 1996