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the Blackfoot people. “This sacred rock was not only used as a landmark and meeting place, but also as a spiritual medicine centre,” explains Mr. Diakiw. Indigenous pictographs of people and shapes are found on both halves of the rock, which is split down the middle. A Blackfoot story explains how the huge rock ended up in two pieces in the middle of the Prairie. Napi, a supernatural trickster, gave his buffalo robe to the rock as a gift. When a cold wind blew, he took it back. The angry rock rolled after him, so Napi ran for his life and called on his bat friends for help. They dived at the rock, stopping it and breaking it in two. This story explains, mythologically speak- ing, why bats have flat faces. And, says Mr. Diakiw, it’s also an important moral tale of why you shouldn’t take back what you’ve given away. PEG readers might recognize Mr. Diakiw’s name. He was an auxiliary firefighter who helped battle the Fort McMurray wildfire and was featured in the winter 2016 edition of the magazine. He’s also inspired hundreds of young rock hounds as an APEGA Outreach volunteer. ROCK TALKER Above, left The famous Okotoks erratic, or Big Rock in Black- foot stories, is the inspiration behind the tour company name Talking Rock Tours. Above, right Keith Diakiw, P.Geo., shows off a rock formation along the Bow River in Banff. -photo courtesy Keith Diakiw, P.Geo.
ARE THOSE ROCKS ACTUALLY TALKING? SORT OF — WHEN THIS APEGA MEMBER TELLS THEIR STORIES Rocks tell the story of the Earth’s history. Keith Diakiw, P.Geo. , wants to share these stories through a unique new business venture, Talking Rock Tours. The company is a geo-educational hiking and sightseeing adventure company — with a twist. “By launching Talking Rock Tours, I’ll not only teach people about Alberta’s geological wonders, but also showcase the associated First Nations and Métis histories and storytelling from a time before Canada 150,” explains Mr. Diakiw. Based in Edmonton, Mr. Diakiw will lead discovery tours across Alberta. His list includes Banff, Nordegg, Elk Island Park, the Badlands, and even his own backyard, Edmonton’s scenic river valley. A proud descendant of historical Métis leader Gabriel Dumont, Mr. Diakiw says tourism ventures like his are one way that Indigenous peoples can reclaim and share their culture and heritage. Talking Rock Tours gives him the chance to pass along his lifelong passion for the Earth sciences with fellow Albertans and tourists from around the globe. He was one of six entrepreneurs invited to pitch their business ideas to a live audience at an ATB BoostR Tourism event in Banff on October 21. He wasn’t crowned the champion, but he did make $10,205 through a successful crowdfunding campaign — enough to pay for a new tour van. Mr. Diakiw’s company name — Talking Rock Tours — was inspired by Big Rock, the famous glacial erratic near Okotoks in southern Alberta. It’s a location of great spiritual significance to
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