The Alberta government has signed an agreement with a First Nations group to return an ancient meteorite to its original location.
Manitou Asiniy, also known as the Creator’s Stone or Manitou Stone, is a 145-kilogram iron meteorite that landed in the Iron Creek area, close to the Alberta-Saskatchewan boundary, billions of years ago.
The stone held spiritual significance to Indigenous people across the Prairies and was thought to protect buffalo herds.
It was moved to Toronto in the late 1800s and later went to the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton.
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Consultations between the museum and Indigenous groups about the fate of the stone started in 2002.
Elder Leonard Bastien says the return of the stone is important to reawakening a sense of peace, prosperity, hope and healing for all people.
© 2022 The Canadian Press
