Pipestone

Today is the 8th day of my trip. We've driven over 2,000 miles and are now in South Dakota. Pretty far away for a native Floridian!!

Today I met an artist. His name is Travis and he is a Native American pipe carver in Pipestone, MN.

He quarries the dark, red pipestone by hand out of ancient quarries that have been providing this sacred stone to many Plains tribes for thousands of years. (Yes - thousands!) This was the site of an ancient sea, and the clay and sand compressed and created this beautiful, smooth stone.

He took a break from carving a beautiful bear-shaped pipe and spoke of how the veins of pipestone slope downward toward the east and cover hundreds of miles. He has worked a particular quarry now so that he is 17 feet down and hitting high quality pipestone. He can only dig during the fall .... because the snows in the winter and the water in the spring and the heat and humidity of the summer it is impossible except in the few months of autumn. Every bit is done by hand... the digging, the picking and the removal of the quartz which lies on top. It is an amazing project.

And he then brings his pipestone, finishes it into blocks and spends much of his time carving the beautiful pipes. These are just the ends of pipes, where the sumac or tobacco is placed in the bowl. Pipe stems are made from various hardwood and larger sumac trees.

These pipes are beautiful works of art and still sacred to the Lakota, Sisseton and Wahpeton as well as other nations of Native Americans.

His pride in his people was evident, and his skill and talent are amazing. He also spoke of helping out some cousins who also quarry ... and how they are fewer and fewer who are willing to do the work. There are beautiful examples of his work in the links.

What a wonderful experience for me.