Pipe Stone D20

Pipe Stone has been used by Native Americans for thousands of years to make the pipes for which it is named. Pipe stone comes from southwestern Minnesota and is quarried in several traditional quarries that have been in used for the past 3000 years. Indian Tribes from all over North America still travel long distances to these sites to continue the tradition of pipe stone quarrying and pipe making. The 54 active quarries can only be used by permit issued from the National Park Service. These permits are only issued to members of a federally recognized Native America tribes.

Pipe stone is still mined today using very similar methods as were used in ancient times.  Hand tools and wheelbarrows are used to remove topsoil and a thick layer of quartzite (one of the hardest stones in the world), to reveal the narrow downward sloping vein of red pipe stone. The quarries are located in a bowl-shaped depression that collects water during the spring rains so most of the quarrying is done in late summer through early fall.

The name “Catlinite” comes from the American painter George Catlin, who visited the pipe stone quarries in 1835 and documented their importance. These quarries are located within a matrix of Sioux Quartzite, a much harder rock, making the extraction of pipestone a labor-intensive process. Chief among these quarries is Pipestone National Monument which continues to be a place of cultural reverence, with numerous tribes maintaining their traditional quarrying practices. The site is officially affiliated with 23 tribal nations, and it remains a living testament to the enduring traditions and spiritual practices of Native American peoples.

Pipestone has a rich history deeply intertwined with Native American culture. The quarries at Pipestone National Monument in Minnesota have been in use for over 3,000 years, with evidence of human activity dating back to ancient times. Native Americans, particularly those of the Plains nations, have long used this soft, easily carved stone to create ceremonial pipes, known as čhaŋnúŋpa These pipes are often used in rituals and as symbols of peace and unity, which is where the colloquial name “peace pipe” comes from.

Pipe stone can be worked with hand tools but is significantly harder than soap stone, so it is not prone to the “bruising” that can happen in Artist Grade soapstone like we used to make our Scotch Rock d20s. This makes for a much more durable die. Pipe stone is quite possible the perfect material from which to make traditional stone dice.

These dice have been engraved with short lived but novel Cherokee numeral system devised by Sequoyah, who was a remarkable Native American polymath. Born around 1770 in Tennessee, he is best known for creating the Cherokee syllabary in 1821, which enabled the Cherokee people to read and write in their own language. This extraordinary achievement made the Cherokee the first Indigenous people in North America to have a written language. Sequoyah’s work had a profound impact on Cherokee literacy and culture, helping to unify and preserve the Cherokee language and identity.