The reddish stone known as catlinite is held sacred in many Native American cultures, especially among the Plains tribes. Unique to the Pipestone Quarry in southwest Minnesota, this clay stone is named after George Catlin, the 19th century painter of American Indians and one of the first non-Natives to visit the quarry. According to one Native legend, the red color comes from the blood of ancestors shed in ancient wars. The quarry serves as a reminder of the past sacrifice of all tribes and symbolizes the current state of peace. Native Americans were told by the Great Spirit to create pipes from this sacred stone, and as the term pipestone suggests, pipes are the most common objects made from catlinite. Their many forms reflect the cultures in which they were made as well as contact with Europeans and other non-Natives. These sacred pipes are central to many Native myths, and are usually tied to prayer, gifts, and dreams.

PreHistoric Catlinite

After conducting a general survey of the Natural History Museum’s collection of over 1300 catlinite objects, patterns in pipe forms over time became apparent. The earliest known catlinite pipe form is a tube pipe dating to the Early Woodland Period.

Historic Catlinite

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the variety in pipe and other artifact forms began to increase. Elaborately carved pipes became abundant, building on previous forms but at the same time experimenting with new forms. Common designs from this time include metal inlays, tomahawk pipes, human and animal effigies, and unusual bowl shapes. As Native contact with non-Natives increased over the past two centuries, the special meaning tied to catlinite also spread. This special meaning among Native cultures caused the manufacture of catlinite objects to be a lucrative business among non-Natives. The stone’s use has since extended far beyond creating pipes and other Native cultural assets, although these items are still made today. Pipes made in recent years follow many of the same themes from traditional pipes of the last 200 years. From the early 19th century on, catlinite was used by non-Natives to make objects for sale and collecting that represented stereotypically Native American items such as moccasins and arrowheads. These depictions provide a window into non-Native perceptions of Native American culture. Catlinite was also used to make secular objects, making the main point of value in these items the actual catlinite from which they were carved.

Other Uses

The cultural importance of catlinite in many Native American cultures is demonstrated by its use in making non-pipe objects, especially tablets. These engravings, dating between 1400 and 1700 AD, often depict supernatural beings, hunting scenes, and other importantactivities, and may have been used as a kind of prayer for good fortune before a hunt. These tablets were reused several times as a drawing board, creating overlapping layers. Catlinite artifacts dating to the 18th century have also been found, suggesting the stone’s use as a metal mold. These molds were used in the 18th century to make small ornaments and bullets. Whether this use of catlinite disregards the material’s sacred character or is an extension of it remains unknown. The archaeological and ethnological record demonstrates catlinite’s further use in beads, rings, and fetishes (symbolic representations of animals. Non-Native influence is seen in more modern catlinite objects, combining secular and non-Native cultural elements with the importance of the stone.

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my gratitude to the NMNH Research Training Program and the University of Notre Dame for making this experience possible.