МАЭ № 3142-13

Smoking pipe

Indians of the Plains

19th century

argillite, feather, leather, cloth, sinew, fur, glass beads, beads, paint, wood

For the Plains Indians smoking is a ritual act the purpose of which is communicating with the spirits. It was believed that, together with the smoke, requests for well-being go to the upper world to the people’s ancestors. Smoking a pipe was part of the ritual of making peace between inimical groups of Native Americans. The refusal to smoke the peace pipe and, therefore, to make peace, was viewed as showing disrespect for the spirits.

Ethnography of America