These small obsidian stones and volcanic glass are what’s known as “Apache Tears.”
The story goes…
In the 1870s, the military ambushed several scores of the Apache tribe on a cliff overlooking what is now known as Superior, Arizona. Many Apache were killed on the spot, and those that remained chose suicide as they ran themselves and their horses over the cliff, rather than die at the hands of the military.
Legends of the surviving widows claim:
“Their sadness was so great, and their burden of sorrow so sincere that the Great Father imbedded into black stones the tears of the Apache Women who mourned their dead. These black obsidian stones, when held to the light, reveal the translucent tear of the Apache.”
These stones are abundant in the area of Superior if you know where to look. They also make for great art, depending on your level of creativity!
