Alberta meteorite sparks battle for sacred rock Posted: Aug 7,
2012 3:07 PM ET Last Updated: Aug 7, 2012 10:49 PM ET A
150-kilogram meteorite that fell to earth centuries ago is
pitting First Nations people northeast of Edmonton against the
Royal Alberta Museum. To the Cree, "pahpamiyhaw asiniy," is a
sacred rock containing the face of the creator, but to
scientists, it's a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite, one of the
largest in Canada. The reddish-brown pitted chunk of iron is on
display at the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, but descendants
of the rock's finders want it back. "It needs to be taken care
of by our people once again," says Vincent Steinhauer, president
of Blue Quill First Nations College in St. Paul, Alberta.The
150-kilogram meteorite is considered sacred by First Nations.
(CBC) "We'd like to repatriate the rock and welcome the rock
back home where it should be," he said. "We have a way of
worship. We were given that way of worship and we should be able
to be allowed to do that." The meteorite