Exploring ancient Alberta: BBL...Bling, Books and Landscapes with the Iniskim Spirit

What's up Hive!

As I get older, feels like time goes by faster and faster. Seems like yesterday since I last wrote a post but it's actually been a week...oops. Maybe I should come post something eventually. Alright, I like to started with a semi related bad joke so today's topic will be about various things Ancient Alberta related. I seem to have been on a natural world merging with other things these days, I thought I would experiment some more. Besides our amazing landscape and a big frozen water gem, I don't talk enough about some of it's secrets I have discovered over the years. Some of it I'm not always sure how to package it together.

I didn't really know what community to post this in because there is too many that this would fit it...is this a book review with the #Hivebookclub? Artistic photography? #pinmapple? Mini History & geology lesson? Mythology? I like the stacker community but I don't post there enough. For the most part, I don't know what to say about this besides...Look at the silvery loot...shiny! or talk about ammonite for an hour... That's not true, you are just going to have to sit thru more than you bargained for along with the #silverporn. There might be some chicks too. Keep in mind, I didn't say they would be cute, just chicks there. Well I don't force anyone but I know y'all like smart things with ya bling. Leave your pirate ships at the harbor and hop into your Canoe to come explore the Mystical forest for different treasures. The morning light was shining just right I had to indulge in a photo session and since my last post about Alberta's heritage, I thought I would post a few more things and in part my relationship with them.

More on this later but a brief explanation, Korite, a locally owned mining and gem/jewelry company crafts quartz gem caps to protect the fragile up to 71 million year old gem quality ammolite only found in one location of this quality from the ancient BEAR PAW formation. Most of their bling is set in silver for the lower grade gems and gold for the higher grade. The grading system goes by play of colors along with richness and minimal cracks. Having a few cracks in the color play is normal because of it's flaky nature, why they are most safely set in a setting called "triplet" with both a protective cover and backing. A wearable fossil, a piece of history, this Gem of the Rockies isn't a bid ol frozen iceblock.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bearpaw_Formation

I wasn't posting because I was taking some time to read and expand for another series of book review and I had a completely different route in mind with my Celtic Druidism and Merlin topic until I got distracted midway back to my homeland for a quick virtual Columbia icefields trip, what was he trying to tell me? I finished my book and went on to the next one Celtic related read. Somehow, it didn't fit...Now what? I picked a different topic entirely while I regrouped my thoughts on what trail of books I wanted to walk down, picking up the anticipated search into Meso-America and the Popol Vuh related things, it fits the shamanic/druid exploration theme of the month I seem to be having.

I just had a convo a few days ago where I mentioned I wanted to start looking for a few more Alberta history reads both natural and cultural. expand my horizon and bring you more in depth with me and each of it's hidden secrets a few at a time along with my long term intent to showcase and promote consuming local to me along with getting their craft a little well deserved promo. I probably like to blend things too much perhaps, I like to package it as an experience even if it's not an actual hike...A hike for the mind.

This is a hike taken near Talbot Lake, it's not long, maybe one kilometer, it's not long enough to say much about it but the view is incredible overlooking what I call Jasper Beach with the highway in the middle. It didn't quite make a post by itself but as I was flipping tru the books to jog my memory on it's contents, I happened to just open the book to this page at random to take a sample photo of it's contents, perhaps it was another hint it should be in here. More landscapes later in the post.

Back when my hair was still long! Windy day, it looked a mess but I still like the view. There was long lasting local wildfires and it was affecting the air quality along with visibility but it did add an interesting effect as the landscapes disappears the further it is.

This is at the bottom of the lake, opposite to the "beach" side of the road. On the way to the trail up, there is a nice clearing to view, the grey silt at the bottom is the same "rock flour" but to see it refract in the blue/green hues, it has to be observed from a vantage point as the sun hits it.

I kept staring at my fossil shelf for some reason, took me a day to figure it out. The answer I was looking for had been staring at me in the face for months, even years little did I know. I forgot about these books because I read them over a decade ago, maybe more like 15 years for one of them. I will have to re-read them to freshen up the info for myself but I remember enough to recommend. Some of the first books I got after moving to Alberta. I kind of forgot about them. Today, it finally dawned on me. This is the perfect fit despite being a storyline that may have happened on 2 separate continents at perhaps the same time period.

"Black Beauty" is a perfect T-Rex fossil resting at the royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller Alberta. The skull is too heavy to be displayed on the body so a much lighter cast replica was made to mount while the heavy fossilized skull rests safely on the floor.

No I'm not talking about the Grand Dinosaur wipe-out. What could all these things have in common then? What does Merlin mythology have to do with Ancient Alberta? We have a hidden Stonehenge of our own from a similar time period perhaps slightly older with a different construction called Medicine Wheels.

Previously posted this photo but this is the Merlin book I was reading, although this 400 page book is mostly centered around the Arthurian Legends and a collection of grimoire and woodsy poetry to make the forest come alive in the author's imagination, the author does make a brief mention of ley lines, which is also a good fit for this hodge-podge of a post. I wont say to much about the book but if you want to read/follow along.

Before we get into the hidden nearly invisible ancient landmark, lets circle back to Ancient European Mythology and mystical associations with it's construction. Most associate him with King Arthur's tales and poetry but a much older version exists relating to legends about the transport of the Preseli Bluestone inner circle of the most famous sacred stone circle/ medicine wheel we all call Stonehenge. What was it's true usage? Experts will always disagree as the possibilities are endless and I'm not sure if anyone has figured out how to slip back in time in that way yet, we'll never know for sure. Hidden Stonehenge by Gordon R. Freeman offers an extensive well researched perspective exploring these options along with his observations. He didn't say too much about Merlin hard work tho...What gives? 😧 😳

This first book was an accidental buy looking for a history and archeology book on the actual Stonehenge at a popular book chain quite some time ago since I like to read most things history and archeology no matter where it's from. When I got home to start reading, I noticed it didn't quite dive into it, sort of but in North-America...In Alberta. I closed the book and inspected the cover better as I should have done before buying. Maybe it was meant to be, I just didn't know it yet. To my pleasant surprise, it was a homegrown wonder. M. Gordon R. Freeman from Saskatchewan spent considerable time visiting and analyzing various ancient stone monuments around the world including The Majorville Medicine Wheel. Here is some quick info links below to give you more details about the site in question and photos from those who have been including more on the author, check it out...I'm here to tell my story, and point to theirs so they can tell you themselves.

https://calgaryherald.com/uncategorized/penner-canadas-stonehenge-older-than-many-great-spirit-sites-of-the-world

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/iniskim-umaapi-majorville-medicine-wheel

Here is a few sample images of how the content is displayed and the quality of the images along with many specific calculations made over the visits to determine it's different features and potential celestial alignments and calendar and time keeping. Much research went into this 400 page book and I highly recommend to any history/archeology buffs.

As I was flipping thru the book, I happened to randomly stop at a page that peeked my interest along with the random photo above, coincidently, take a look at stone pile #59. He does cover some information in the "Bluestone" inner circle that originated from Whales at a different point in the book, it's still a mystery how they ended up where they did so far away from their original location. Me bringing this up isn't to prove or disprove their transport into a history breaking development but "bluestone" is found in local rivers and polished or carved then sold. The mountain is under protection to preserve it's history but the loose stuff that washes up in rivers is fair game for harvest/commercial use. I have my own piece of this sacred stone. Like Iniskim, only found in one place in the world. Meet Merlin...Told you he was real! Ya'll didn't believe me! He got tired of being on the shelf and wanted to bake in the sun for a little while too🤣

It did eventually get into an extensive bank of information along with high quality pictures taken along his many trips and noticed many similarities to what was previously just thought of to be nothing more than an old pile of rocks until an areal photo was taken that revealed a cohesive feature that needed further exploration. I have been looking for a creative way to take you there and expose this ancient wonder yet it is not completely accessible at close range to the public besides University and Archeology programs along with the tribes that used it as sacred ancestral lands but can be carefully/respectfully viewed from a distance. Getting there and actually exploring the site is way above my pay grade (maybe someday) but still worth sharing it's existence and how to learn more about it's history and purpose. To maintain the site's integrity and preserving our province's ancestral history for generations to come, I prefer going to the experts like M. Freeman and his research rather than disturb it in person. To get a full analysis, GET THE BOOK!

COMMERCIAL BREAK I have a window suncatcher crystal that showers the room with rainbows in late afternoon and early evening. I had placed my rings there while I messed in the kitchen and I came back to this! The book they are sitting on is my Bison leather bound ESV bible, the relevance? Ammolite's traditional name is Iniskim meaning Buffalo Stone. I thought it was a nice coincidence along with a quick silverporn project. It's sitting in the rainbow directly distorting the gem's color, no filter. I called it "Charging in the rainbow". In local Indigenous traditions, the buffalo is associated with the Great Creator Spirit.

Wood Bison taken from Elk National Park just outside of Edmonton, once thought to be going into extinction, a small herd was found and extensive rehabilitation efforts both in Wood Buffalo National Park in the Fort MacMurray region and Island National Park has ensured that this living prairie heritage continues. Their numbers are slowly recovering but not as fast as their close relative, the plain bison. Bison has a long standing reputation as an important food source along with it's furs, we eat the plain bison but not the wood bison, the species above is 100% protected by law to ensure it's survival along with being kept at a separate part of the park on their own to avoid cross breading and the stress of human visitors and cars, they are a more aggressive species as well.

The picture I shared above on the Talbot Lake hike, this is part of what I was overlooking. This is the most popular sand bar/ beach in Jasper National Park. The river is shallow and it is possible to walk across. The "grey looking water" is what rock flour sediment looks like before it had time to settle to the bottom. We explored it's refractive qualities in the last post about the Columbia Icefields.

I didn't feel much like walking, my peg leg was out of service to be repaired so I opted for my sea faring ways sailing in the sunset with all of my glittery silvery treasures in my new top of the line floaty boat. I burned like a lobster and it was painful. I felt like I had been lost at sea for a month. Who knew where I would end up but with my pale skin, it had only a few hours and I had hardly left the shore! The view was nice. Worth the burn.

I know I said the chicks probably weren't going to be cute but I caved, I had to get you some cute chicks since I mentioned it. These are gooselings, in Indigenous creation story legends, long story short, Mother Earth falls from a hole in the sky and the geese catch her, deposit her gently on the turtle's back where she planted a seed and Turtle Island aka North- America was created.

Now all this nonsense leads me to the second local literary treasure. This is legit, THE FIRST BOOK I EVER BOUGHT IN ALBERTA. It was random too. I was waiting at a train station as it doubled as the Greyhound depot at the time. I know, I just aged it. I had some time to kill and had a 3 hour trip ahead of me. In the little ticket purchase area, this book was for sale and seemed interesting enough. This random purchase turned out to be a treasure trove of Alberta's history covering the archeology that explores the theory of Mongolia ancestral whalers crossing the N-W passage via ice bridge based on the analysis of various theories using the teeth shape and structure of the remains left behind.

In search for Ancient Alberta, this 280+ page book by Barbara Huck and Doug whiteway have researched the various tribal migratory routes where various clusters of artifacts were found starting with the ancestral Clovis People and the evolvement of the tribes over time leading up to today. Different tribes and timeline had different stone tools and carving styles, their research explores the similarities and differences along with diagrams and photos for visual context. They offer a reconstruction of what their lifestyles and hunting/gathering habits may have been like.

Many arrowheads have been found across Alberta, artifacts of this sort are automatically reported and investigated in the event that it could be a significant source for an archeological dig and get more information on their ancient lives. A major oilsand site construction was temporarly shutdown as an arrowhead was discovered. History preservation is serious business over here.

In addition, they cover many of our prized landscapes across the province and their significance to locals in a well put together reference both as a good learning tool and a potential areas to visit. When I first read it, I didn't resonate quite as much with the landscape visuals not having yet learned about the landscape. Flipping thru brought a smile to my face as I explored many of the areas I have already seen for myself. They do mention some information about the Medicine wheel as well. Now this is the book that I opened on the Talbot Lake area.

Overall, I don't think there is enough information yet on the development of Indigenous tribes and the culture since their ancestral knowledge is based on long passed down oral traditions but as the years go, we learn more and it comes to the surface for us all to enjoy. I need to look for more local stories of the different leaders of the region along with the Wayshowers, the guides that honed their skill and knowledge of the land over generations. This book is an excellent starting point to get to know as much as you can about Canadian Indigenous history with homegrown twist if you live in the Canadian Prairies with the Rockies as a playground. Now you know, Canada has it's very own Ancient history and monuments besides dino bones and shiny extinct gemified sea creatures. BUY THE BOOK!

More from the Talbot Lake area, much of the hike is on sand dunes for the first half, random wildflowers do grow here and there adding a pop of color in front of the mountain backdrop. This isn't looking at the lake but the beach that is on the other side of he highway that is hidden by the sand dune as we gained slight elevation.

Let me interrupt this reading content with a continuation landlocked pirate adventure on my inflatable canoe wannabe, I figured out what the problem was. T-rex was weighing me down, I had to bring her back to the museum and trade her in for some smaller pieces to make my floatable escape. I displayed the rings on a smart phone screen to get the mild reflection and to enhance the color's visibility. Iniskim aka Buffalo stone has been mentioned as the next Black Opal for it's iridescent qualities also similarly found in Labradorite.

As you move the stone around in the light, the color changes. Much of it's iridescence comes from yet another one of nature's optical illusions. The color changes are based on the light reaching different depth of layers refracting certain colors back as it's moved around with blue being the thinnest layer of the aragonite sediment that makes up the shell.

The protective quartz caps come in two main textures, a star pattern gem cut style or like the other piece above with a smooth cabochon style finish. Both are just as beautiful. You would think this post was sponsored but it's not! I'm just Kray-Kray for Korite and this made for a fun photography project, reminds me of Northern Lights aka Aurora Borealis.

The significant gem deposit that is currently being mined by Korite and local Indigenous tribes with the proper permits to ensure experts preserve it as much as possible for distribution to the rest of the world. One of the latest gems to be added to the official gem list in he 80's, they have been gaining market and looking to promote and expand this provincial treasure. Only 5% of what is found is of gem quality increasing it's rarity. Besides it's rarity and gem factors, it has an ancestral story of it's own associated with local legends and the first Iniskim stone ever found related to a Buffalo drought experienced by a tribe and upon finding the "magical stone", it called back the Buffalo spirit. I like to let them tell their own ancestral stories so here is a couple of videos from youtube below with the information being shared the oral tradition way. Go give them some views!

This video is a story about a young girl finding her lost connection with the land sharing her experience with a good visual and oral representation of the significance of the buffalo to Alberta and part of our pride as a province from a sacred spiritual approach.

This video is a more scientific based production with geological information starting from 71 million years ago when the landscape changed suddenly and gemified including the mining process and Kornite's commercial preservation activities along with the legends associated with the Buffalo Stone and a prophetic dream that saved a tribe from starvation.

Previously shared from my ladybug account part of the Buffalo Nations Museum located in Banff National Park that curates various local art and ceremonial traditions. It's a short but worthy tour.

Putting the landlocked pirate loot aside, I had one last book I wanted to share, I mentioned about Ley lines. There are many theories about natural magnetic lines that connect to the earth's magnetic field both in the sky and underground. The concept of Ley lines explore the potential of these undergrounds energetic lines the surround us. Time after time, many ancient monuments, churches and other sacred sites seem to all line up in some sense like some sort of super synchronistic happy accident.

with today's technology and record keeping, it's easier to establish patterns but how did the ancients know? Was it an instinctual knowing, just feeling it. Many of these ancient monuments have been found at the crossing of such lines in natural energetic vortices that spark ceremonial or spiritual experiences hence the many tales shamanic journey and healing beliefs experienced over the millennia's. If there are geomagnetic lines that run thru the earth, just as the increased solar activity and solar flares affecting our magnetic field...Could these experiences rise in number over the next solar maximum period we are entering?

Danny Sullivan goes in-depth with the various knowledge and studies available to explore the potential for these legends as old as time itself to be based in some elements of truth marking the different alignments observed now that we have modern tools to put theory into practice. Let him take you on a 200 page journey to discover his findings and getting more familiar with our planet's unseen powerful forces we all live without ever really considering. Could it affect our moods unknowingly? Our energy levels, stamina? Can better natural resources be found compared to the lands further from the geomagnetic lines? BUY THE BOOK

Well that turned into a long post for a mix bag of odds and ends I really didn't know what to do with on their own photo wise along with a collection of my own random moments as I relate to my reading content is my own weird way. I hope you enjoyed my virtual hike back in time during various point's in Alberta's hidden history weaving in and out between the real and magical mini wannabe history lesson. The trail back in time.

This unique little feature is a little further down the road from the popular beach area. There is a small parking area to get out and visit. This is a cold sulfur spring. the water slowly trickles out of the rock and pools into a shallow stinky pond that smells like H2S, a toxic gas but is not in high enough concentration levels to be harmful to humans. The foul smelling oddity is a popular gathering spot for the local Big horn Sheep community as the water contains important nutrients to their diet to grow their fur and horns. Gross, I can't even imagine drinking this elixir of youth...YUK!

They might enjoy gross water but they are as cute as a button. The area above is an excellent place to spot them as they are generally roaming the territory and commonly clog heavy traffic. Just in case...Males have the horns.

Another view from the smoky mountains, since taking this picture, here has been a wildfire that ravaged thru and burned many of the trees in the backside of the lake. Never know when the landscape can drastically change and images is all that is left of the old

I'm not sure what this is, just a friend I met on my hike, rather buggy eyed, fellow. I bet he was eyeballing my loot. I know buddy, I had the same look when I saw the buy one get one free korite sale that was on a few weeks back...This might sink your ship tho, you are pretty tiny.

All images taken with Nikon Z-6

I know this probably doesn't count much as a travel post why I decided to post in the precious metal community rater than travel but I will still pin it to the #pinmapple map for easy access because I think the history that makes the cultural fabric of these beautiful places we visit is as important as the landscape itself. Part of it's story now part of mine too.

Adios computer bound landlocked pirates! xox