Vancouver 2010 Emblem
The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics emblem (seen at its April 23, 2005, unveiling) depicts an inukshuk, a symbol used by the Inuit people, or Eskimos, of Canada's Arctic regions.
For centuries the Inuit have stacked rocks—sometimes into human forms—to create inukshuk, which act as guideposts for people traversing the vast tundra.
(Related: "Global Warming Changing Inuit Lands, Lives, Arctic Expedition Shows.")
The Vancouver 2010 emblem is dubbed Ilanaaq—"friend" in an Inuit language—and is an "eternal expression of the hospitality of a nation that warmly welcomes the people of the world with open arms every day," according to the Vancouver 2010 Web site.
But Ilanaaq has generated controversy among some First Nations—Canada's term for non-Inuit American Indian groups. The groups feel the symbol doesn't reflect the native art and culture of the Vancouver region and the rest of British Columbia, such as totem poles. (See pictures of totem poles made for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.)
Vancouver 2010: Olympic Logo No "Friend" to Some
The Vancouver 2010 Olympic logo, Ilanaaq—"friend" in an Inuit language—has some native groups in Canada feeling left out in the cold.
