Ammolite company gets new ownership

By Alexandra Noad - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on November 6, 2024.

Submitted photo Amarjeet Grewal, president of Korite (left), displays samples of ammolite with new owners Beth and Tracy Day Chief.

Two leaders in the ammolite industry are combining forces in hopes to bring awareness of ammolite to the next level.

Korite was founded in 1979 and recently acquired new ownership from Beth and Tracy Day Chief of Buffalo Rock Mining which has been around for about 20 years.

With the new acquisition of the Korite mine, the Day Chiefs now own about 95% of the ammonite deposit in Southern Alberta.

The ammonite fossil, known as Iniskim or the “buffalo stone” in Blackfoot, has a great significance in Indigenous cultures.

In Indigenous stories the buffalo stone helped bring back the buffalo during a time of hardship.

Beth says she looks forward to sharing the story of ammolite with the entire world.

“I think that was part of the story that was missing with ammolite and the ammonite fossils, so now we get to share that story globally with other countries and expand what ammolites and the ammonite fossils are,” said Beth.

Amarjeet Grewal, president of Korite, says the company has come full circle with the new Indigenous ownership.

“Ammolite comes from Indigenous land and always has. Now it’s coming full circle the recognition is going back to where it belongs. Now we can proudly tell our story that it is coming from Indigenous land and the ownership is back to Indigenous,” said Grewal.

Grewal added with the new ownership Korite will be able to bring in Indigenous designs from Indigenous designers, something they have wanted to do for a long time.

“There were so many times we wanted to bring in Indigenous designs and Indigenous designers, because no one can design this better than Indigenous designers. So now we are ready to walk that talk,” said Grewal.

Along with bring in Indigenous designs Korite also wants to bring awareness to ammolite in the gemstone community, so hopefully one day, it will be as well recognized as an emerald or ruby.

Indigenous people have a very strong connection to the land, and for the Day Chiefs, they take those values into the field with them-in a very literal way.

With their business Buffalo Rock Mining being on Indigenous land they needed to acquire a full environment assessment which includes an archeology, approval from an Elder and a reclaim plan.

All of this was to make sure the land was put back to how it was after mining is completed.

Tracy says while the new mine is off the reserve, he still plans on using the same methods to pay respects to the land.

“I still want to bring that method to where we’re mining because we want it back to normal,” said Tracy.

While some business owners can be found in a secluded office somewhere, Grewal says the Day Chiefs both take an active part in the business.

Whether it be mining, cutting stones or teaching the staff new methods on finishing the stones more strategically, Grewal says you will never find Tracy in an office setting,

“From day one, we had our staff meetings and they were like ‘we’ve never seen an owner who gets their hands dirty.’ So, to me, that’s passion showing, they’re walking the talk,” said Grewal.

With new passionate owners, Grewal sees the business flourishing for years to come and the Korite staff are very excited to see where the company goes.

“This is more of carrying the legacy and keeping it in the family for years to come,” said Grewal.