THE IRON CREEK METEORITE: THE CURIOUS HISTORY OF THE MANITOU STONE AND THE CLAIM FOR ITS REPATRIATION.

Canada's Iron Creek meteorite, a 320 lb (145 kg) Group IIIAB medium octahedrite iron, was long venerated by the First Nations in Alberta as their sacred Manitou Stone, but it was taken without authority from them by Methodist missionaries in 1866. That began the meteorite's long odyssey, as it was transferred first to the Methodist Mission in Victoria (now Pakan) Alberta; then to the Red River Mission in Winnipeg, Manitoba; then to the Wesleyan Methodist Church's Mission Rooms in Toronto, Ontario; then to Victoria College in Cobourg, Ontario; then to the campus of the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario; then to the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto; and finally to the Provincial Museum of Alberta (now the Royal Alberta Museum) in Edmonton. In recent years, a First Nations movement to repatriate the meteorite to a place near its original find site has been initiated. As of now, the meteorite remains on display at the Royal Alberta Museum's Syncrude Gallery of Aboriginal Culture, where it is a prized showpiece. The present paper explores the curious history and cultural significance of this fabled meteorite, its long odyssey, the issues surrounding the claims for its repatriation, the Royal Alberta Museum's present policy, and a possible way forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]