A type of steatite (soapstone) found on Santa Catalina Island off California, historically used by Native Americans for tools and vessels.
From Catalina Island + -ite (a mineral suffix meaning 'stone of'). Named after the geographical location where it was quarried and used by the Tongva people.
Archaeological studies of catalinite objects show that the Tongva people developed sophisticated trade networks distributing these stones across the southern California coast over thousands of years—long before European contact.
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