In honor of the people

Pipestone has several geological sources in North America: Minnesota, South Dakota, Kansas, Arizona, Ohio and Wisconsin (see Gundersen, 1986). The pipestone of Minnesota is often referred to as Catlinite, named after the 19^th century artist George Catlin. It was Catlin's visit in 1836, which made the quarries in southwestern Minnesota more commonly known. This site is now recognized as the official National Park Service site-Pipestone National Monument.  

The pipestone in the Midwest area is a soft argillite derived from clay stone/mudstone shale. The stone is found in between layers of Sioux quartzite, often described as having the hardness of steel. The predominant minerals found in the pipestone of Minnesota are:  kaolinite, pyrophyllite, diaspore and muscovite. The stone's red coloring comes from the mineral hematite, due to its iron content. The color, in various locations can range from mottled pink to brick red but can also be found in, brown, orange, yellow-orange, green-gray, blue-grey, cream and white.  What sets Minnesota pipestone apart from other types of pipestone is its lack of the mineral quartz. Most red pipestones contain quartz but Minnesota pipestone has little to none.  As a result of low quartz content, the stone is dense but soft and easy to carve.

Archaeological evidence suggests that the Minnesota quarry has been in use for 3,000 years, with more concentrated quarrying beginning approximately A.D. 700 (see Rothman, 1992). Archeological evidence also shows that more than one American Indian group quarried in Minnesota (see Pipestone National Monument).  Minnesota pipestone material  has  been found in Anasazi and Hohokam sites in the Southwest, in villages near the Arkansas River, along the Missouri River, throughout western Iowa and as far east as the Ohio River area (see Rothman, 1992). The broad distribution suggests that more than one group traded the material, including American Indians who lived in the Midwest or traveled across it (see Rothman, 1992).

Minnesota pipestone is said to be the preferred source among Plains tribes due to the quality of the stone. According to oral tradition the site was used by people of all tribes, and that all tribes - even enemies - laid down their arms before quarrying side by side (see Pipestone National Monument).  Many American Indians consider pipestone to be a sacred material.  It continues to be quarried in Minnesota by American Indians who use it to carve smoking pipes and sculptural items, some of which are used for spiritual purposes and ceremonies.

References

"Pipestone National Monument - Geologic Formations (U.S. National Park Service)." U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. <http://www.nps.gov/pipe/naturescience/geologicformations.htm>.

Howell, David H. "Pipestone and Red Shale Artifacts." American Antiquity 6.1 (1940): 45-62.

Gundersen, James N. "Nature and Provenance of Red Pipestone from the Wittrock Site, Northwest Iowa." North American Archaeologist  7.1 (1986):45-50.

Gundersen, James N. "Catlinite and the Spread of the Calumet Ceremony." American Antiquity 58.3 (1993):560-562.

Walker, James R. "Lakota Belief and Ritual." University of Nebraska: Lincoln, 1980, 87-151.

Scott, Douglas D. et al "An Archeological Inventory and Overview of Pipestone National Monument, Minnesota."  National Service, Midwest archeological Center: Nebraska, 2006.

Rothman, Hall K. et al "Managing the Sacred and the Secular: An Administrative History of Pipestone National Monument." National Park Service: September 10, 1992.