Fond du Lac artist explains the importance of pipestone and the area where it is found

NINA MOINI: Well, moving right along, state regulators this month reversed a decision to approve a route for a gas pipeline near Pipestone National Monument in Southern Minnesota. This site is sacred to tribal nations across the Midwest and Great Plains. It's named after a type of stone, also called catlinite, that Native Americans use to make artwork as well as pipes for ceremonies.

So after the state approved Magellan Pipeline Company's permit back in September, more than a dozen tribal nations wrote letters urging it to reconsider. They expressed concern for the pipestone, as well as the cultural sites, wildlife, and water. Under the new decision, the company needs to work with more than a dozen tribal nations on an archaeological study of two different routes.

The issue is not new. There was an old pipeline through the monument that closed back in 2022. So with all this in mind, we wanted to learn about this area, and more importantly, the stone it's named after. Jeff Savage is an award-winning artist and Director of the Fond Du Lac Cultural Center and Museum. He's been working with pipestone for 50 years. And he joins us now. Thanks so much for being here, Jeff.

JEFF SAVAGE: Well, good morning, Alanna.

NINA MOINI: Well, this is Nina. But Alanna is one of our wonderful producers.

JEFF SAVAGE: Oh, Nina, OK.

NINA MOINI: That kind of sounds similar. That's OK. So I wondered, for those who have never seen it, can you describe what pipestone looks like and what it feels like?

JEFF SAVAGE: OK, well, pipestone is a soft, red slate-like rock. And at present, it lays underneath about 3 to 4 feet of prairie soil and 9 to 12 feet of Sioux quartzite, as the stone is called, that over layers the pipestone. Now, it's been declared that quarrying pipestone has to be done by hand. So it's a very dangerous and physical process to be getting that red stone out of the ground.

NINA MOINI: Yeah, and only members of federally recognized tribes can apply for a permit to quarry pipestone. But if you are permitted, I mean, how long does it take? What does it look like? You're using tools by hand?

JEFF SAVAGE: OK, well, first thing you usually have to do is you have to apply for a permit. And they are limited, because pipestone is popular among Native American folks. And a lot of traditional people do like to try and quarry the stone themselves. And so what you need to do is have tools like sledge hammers, wedges, crowbars, shovels, wheelbarrows so you can remove the topsoil and to get down to the Sioux quartzite layer, which is very hard. On the Moh scale, it's almost up to 10, which is about as hard as iron.

NINA MOINI: Wow, so very intensive it sounds. And I'm curious, too, what art do you make from the pipestone?

JEFF SAVAGE: OK, over the years, as a young man quarrying, and also a person who taught and asked questions of my elders, when we were young, about all of these different questions and issues, and pipestone was one of them. And one day, when we were down on the quarry, this elder Lakota medicine person came by. And he'd seen us quarrying.

And he told us that it was an honor for us to be able to have the strength and the willpower to quarry that stone out. And he said, use every single little piece, even the little pieces that are scrap that comes off you making pipes. And so, not only do I do ceremonial pipes for Native folks, but I will take the leftover or stone that's not good for pipe quality, and I will do sculpture with them.

NINA MOINI: Mm-hmm, because it's all very meaningful, this resource, to you and to so many.

JEFF SAVAGE: Yeah, it's a very limited resource.

NINA MOINI: Yeah, so there are various tribal nations representing different cultures who have a relationship with the Pipestone National Monument. It's a place where people have gathered thousands of years. From your perspective, why is it so important to protect this area and the area around it?

JEFF SAVAGE: OK, well, a lot of folks don't know that all the way across Southern Minnesota, there's petroglyphs. And they stretch all across that whole Sioux quartzite bedrock that comprises Southern Minnesota. And if you go in that straight line, coming from east to west, you end right up at Pipestone. And so, what it is, is it's been a multi-millennial journey across the Southern Minnesota prairie.

And one of the main stops was Pipestone. And so it was a really nice spot. It had running water. And it was a place where the pipestone was exposed in the creek. And as the Native people traveled across the plains and stopped at this site, and they seen the use of that stone, different traditions and stories about that stone have come across multiple tribes over the millennia.

Now, pipestone was one of the most extensive trade items that has been found in prehistoric America. The Hopewells were using pipestone way over in Ohio. And it was found even as far south as sites in Florida. So the knowledge of that site over the millennia has traveled across all of Indian country. And lots of different tribes have a relationship with that stone.

NINA MOINI: Yeah, before I let you go, Jeff, what is you wish for this area in the future?

JEFF SAVAGE: OK, well, even way back in the mid '70s, we were concerned about that pipeline that did go next to the monument. And I think it might have even crossed one corner of the site, if I can recall. And so it's always been a concern to the Native folks in Pipestone and other tribes that have come there to quarry this stone.

NINA MOINI: So the hope for the future is that the area will be protected and that you will continue to be able to do the work that you're passionate about and that is so important to your culture. Jeff, thank you so much for being with us today and sharing your beautiful work with us. We really appreciate it.

JEFF SAVAGE: OK, well, feel free to call me anytime.

NINA MOINI: Oh, thank you. Take care, Jeff. Bye bye.

JEFF SAVAGE: OK, yep. Bye.

NINA MOINI: That was Jeff Savage, an award-winning artist and Director of the Fond Du Lac Cultural Center and Museum.