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Wolfsong
July 15th, 2007, 10:52 PM
Just got back from the eco part of my vacation and thought I would share a few treasures with you all. Nothing outrageous but just simple special little stones (and one shell).

The first is very special and holds a story... This mineral is known as Argillite. Although not a big deal in the mineral world it is very special for one reason. This black form of the mineral is only found in one location that is kept secret by the local tribe and is only mined by them. Next... they will not sell or give any raw pieces to anyone outside the tribe. The only way to get specimens is to buy carved pieces which have been carved by the tribe (they are some of the most famous and sought after carvers in the west). When I approached one of the carvers and spent some time with him (2 days) he gave me this piece to take with me after giving him a promise that I would never attempt to carve it. The piece is about 6" X 5" X 3". He also carved me this beautiful little wolf pendant once he learned a bit about me. (see inset in pic).

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The next pic is of little odds and ends I picked up off the beaches. The one shell is a small abalone shell. The other stones all seemed to want to spend some time with me and who am I to refuse :)

The bottom center (two toned) stone is telling me he is a shaman's stone so I'm really gonna have to spend some time with him.

The items below are all really small pocket items. The shell for example is about 1 inch or so long.

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daphnerose
July 16th, 2007, 12:04 PM
Ooh what pretties!
It looks like that middle two tone stone is jasper to me, brown and red. I once had one that was brown and red jasper with quartz. Boy I loved that stone. I still miss it.

Saleheim
July 16th, 2007, 03:45 PM
Sounds like you had a great time and what a nice carving and what a special way to get it, with a personal story. Impressive.

Wolfsong
July 16th, 2007, 05:08 PM
Sounds like you had a great time and what a nice carving and what a special way to get it, with a personal story. Impressive.

It's one of the few, if not the only, eco-tours I have taken which surpassed all expectations by far. I saw more marine wildlife than I have ever seen on one tour and learned more about a specific culture than I ever could have dreamed of on such a trip.

It was a 9 day kyaking tour of Haida Gwaii and in specific the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, Haida Heritage Site and World Hetitage Site. Rated by National Geographic as the number one National Park in North America.

As I have time I will post some pics in the photo forum... I took over 2000 pics so it may take a while :)

Saleheim
July 16th, 2007, 09:02 PM
It's one of the few, if not the only, eco-tours I have taken which surpassed all expectations by far. I saw more marine wildlife than I have ever seen on one tour and learned more about a specific culture than I ever could have dreamed of on such a trip.

It was a 9 day kyaking tour of Haida Gwaii and in specific the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, Haida Heritage Site and World Hetitage Site. Rated by National Geographic as the number one National Park in North America.

As I have time I will post some pics in the photo forum... I took over 2000 pics so it may take a while :)


Sounds like a really good journey to me and as I live in the Netherlands I could do something similar I guess in Europe but the feel would be very different. I will surely have a look at your photos when you post them.

lightdragon
July 17th, 2007, 06:49 PM
cool