Calgary 
A meteorite with deep spiritual significance for Plains Indigenous Peoples is one step closer to returning to the land under Indigenous stewardship.
Signing of an agreement between Alberta and the Manitou Asinîy-Iniskim-Tsa Xani Centre, which starts the process of returning Manitou Asinîy to its historic location in 2022./Credit: Alberta Newsroom
Federal ministers Julie Dabrusin and Eleanor Olszewski joined representatives of the Manitou Asinîy – Iniskim – Tsa Xani Centre, known as MAITX, at Elk Island National Park to mark the signing of a new memorandum of understanding.
The agreement secures land in the park where MAITX plans to establish a permanent home for Manitou Asinîy, commonly called the Manitou Stone. It could also support a future Indigenous-led cultural experience. MAITX will oversee the Stone’s care, presentation and teachings.
Manitou Asinîy is a 145-kilogram iron meteorite believed to have fallen near Hardisty, Alberta, thousands of years ago. It became a sacred gathering place for spiritual and ceremonial practices and is closely associated with the bison, which represents prosperity and balance among Plains Buffalo Tribes.
The Stone is also known as Creator’s Stone, the Child Who Fell From the Sky, the Iron Stone and the Shining Rock.
In 1866, Methodist missionary Reverend George McDougall removed it from its original location. It was later sent to Victoria Methodist College in Cobourg, Ontario, and displayed for many years at the Royal Ontario Museum.
The Stone returned to Alberta on long-term loan in 1972. Ownership was transferred to the Royal Alberta Museum in 2001, followed by consultations with 33 First Nations and seven Indigenous organizations between 2002 and 2004.
It remains at the Royal Alberta Museum under a co-stewardship agreement with MAITX and the Alberta government.
Its proposed home at Elk Island National Park would place it among bison once again.
