Connection to the Earth Mother

American Indians seeking sacred pipestone removed piles of Sioux Quartzite rubble from quarries, and three thousand years ago they used stone tools to remove pipestone found near the surface. Today quarriers use sledgehammers, steel wedges, and wheelbarrows to remove the hard quartzite rock found in quarries up to 15 feet deep. The hard physical labor of the past is much the same as the labor today; although the tools have improved, all the work is done by hand, and for some quarriers the work is deeply spiritual, fostering a personal connection to the earth mother, the quartzite, the pipestone rock, and a sense of oneness with everything there.

Minnesota · United States