

It provided their food, clothing, and lodges. The buffalo was everything to the Blackfoot.

Afterwards a large herd came to graze beside the camp, and the hunters were able to acquire the food their people needed. She was instructed to complete a ceremony. She followed the song to a cave where she found a brightly coloured stone. The next day she was out searching for firewood when she heard a beautiful song. A woman had a vision dream of a magical stone that would call the buffalo to them. One very cold winter, the Tribe had nothing to eat because the buffalo herd hadn’t been in their area. The Blackfoot tell a story of Iniskim (Buffalo calling stone). The conditions there produced the rare iridescent, multi coloured stones. When they died, they sunk and were buried under mud, which became shale.Īmmonite fossils are found all over the world, but gemstone grade ammolite only exists in the territory of the Kainai (Blood), the Pikuni (Peigan), and the Siksika (Blackfoot) Indians of Southern Alberta. The ammonites that produced ammolite lived in an ancient sea along the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains. They have been for extinct about 65 million years. This opal-like organic gemstone comes from the fossilized shells of prehistoric creatures called ammonites. Questions about custom Aboriginal jewelry pieces? Contact us at or give us a call at 1-60 View the available Iniskim gemstone jewelry for sale at Cheryl's Trading Post, made by Indigenous artists in the US and Canada. Native People call it Iniskim, and recognize its spiritual significance: prosperity and good health to the person in contact with it. Newly known as Ammolite, this stone was given official gemstone status in 1981. Iniskim Gemstone History & Spiritual SignificanceĪmmolite, blackfoot, gemstone, iniskim, jewlery
