So years ago, when I was still living in Manitoba, I wanted a piece of pipestone, it being sacred (spiritualtravels.info) to the Indigenous people of North America. It's used to make ceremonial pipes and things of that nature. So once, long ago, maybe 10 years ago around, I had stumbled across a tiny piece of pipestone in a tumbled stone batch, y'know the type, take 10 for 10 dollars, something like that. And it caught my eye back then, and I ended up showing that to a person at the Like That group that I was a part of back there. They were the one that told me that it was pipestone, and was sacred to the indigenous people, and that I should present it to someone as a gift to them. And so I did, and was informed that it was sacred, and was thanked for it.
So years after that, after moving to The Pas/Opaskwayak Cree Nation, and embracing my indigenous heritage, I had wanted a piece of pipestone for myself. Now, I had been told when I was young that I was part indigenous, somewhere back in my line, and I figure that this is what called me to all of this, the forever draw to indigenous culture, to need to connect, it's always been in my life, that need. So after moving to the OCN area, I began to hunt around in the river for a tiny piece of pipestone.
Now this is where it gets weird, in a way like the tie up ceremony. So, back in Manitoba, after failing to find a pipestone in the river (a bit unsurprising since it's found in Pipestone, Minnesota, a fact I found out years later, just days before typing this actually), I tried looking online to see if I could buy a piece of pipestone. And so I searched... and the word pipestone didn't seem to exist on the internet. Multiple searches, for different terms, pipestone, pipestone buy, what type of stone is pipestone, all of these turned up meaningless results, nothing for sale, not even a mention of pipestone. As confused as I was back then, I chalked it up to perhaps this wasn't well known to the outside world (a thought that now, in the present, is absolutely ludicrous, I mean... Pipestone Minnesota), and perhaps the thought had been planted there by the Cree Spirits that were watching over me. It wasn't my time yet.
And so, years later, now living in London, England, my north fam had just gone for a visit to Pipestone, and were posting photos of their visit online. And that got me thinking, I should try looking for a pipestone online again. Maybe it was more existent online now. Again, there's a literal city, that's been named that since 1876. It was also about this time that I realized, wait... why did that not come up online at all long ago. So searching online again now, I found numerous, countless places selling pipestones (catlinite). Now it was time, now I was ready. The Spirits reminded me that I had searched for this long ago, and offered it to me again, now is when you may have your pipestone.
Thank You Spirits, for the lessons, for the waiting, for telling me when it was time. I will cherish this piece, and it will take a place of honour on my altar ❤
July 23, 2025
