Ch.

2: alberta’s fossil heritage—people finding fossils

Who do you think were the first people
to find fossils in southern alberta?
“Iinisskimm” - Sacred Buffalo Stone
● The First Nations people of southern
Alberta were the first to find fossils here.

● Many fossils were called “iinisskimm”

which means “buffalo stone” in the
Blackfoot language.

● The Blackfoot knew that these stones

were from animals from the past, which
they called the “grandfather of the
buffalo.”
Iinisskimm
The University of Lethbridge’s Blackfoot name is “Iinisskimm” after these sacred
buffalo stones!
iinisskimm
- These stones are also very important Blackfoot peoples
today—the members of the Blackfoot confederacy.

- They are a reminder of a shared history, and a

connection to the land. They remind the people of the
Blackfoot Confederacy of their ancestors who lived off
the land for thousands of years before the British or
the French came.
Joseph Tyrrell
Many years later, in 1884, a man named Joseph
Tyrrell was looking for coal in Southern Alberta,
between the Oldman River and the Red Deer River, near
where Drumheller is now.

He made an exciting discovery! He found the bones of a

big dinosaur, which would later be called the
Albertosaurus in 1905.

This discovery made Alberta known worldwide as a fossil

finding hotspot. Collectors from around the world heard
about this brand new discovery. Then…

Marcel Duchamps, L.H.O.O.Q, 1919.

What happens next?
Joseph Tyrrell makes a huge discovery—a fossil of a brand new
dinosaur—and people around the world hear about this incredible
discovery right on our doorstep.

1. Think individually about what might happen after this in the

history of Alberta? How might the rest of the world respond?
2. Share your ideas with a partner.
3. Share you and your partner’s ideas with the rest of the class.
Albertosaurus and Edmontosaurus fossils

Both of these pictures were taken at the

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in
Washington, DC!
Repatriation

Repatriation: where something, or someone, is returned to their

homeland.
Collaborative Think-Pair-Share

Inquiry Question: What might be some of the reasons it is important to

the Blackfoot people to get Chief Crowfoot’s regalia back home?

1) Think about the inquiry question individually, you can write down some of your ideas
using the lined paper provided.
2) Share your ideas with the partner beside you.
3) Share your ideas with the class.