Carved Pipe bowl; Indigenous peoples, North America

This pipe bowl is one of four pipe bowls in the De Peyster collection, each is decorated differently. Tobacco originated in the Americas and smoking featured in many types of ceremonies and rituals. It was believed that the smoke helped to carry messages to the spirits. Figures depicted on pipes, which faced the smoker, often represented their personal guardian spirit. The sacrament of smoking is very important and pipe ceremonies were often used to confirm a covenant or a treaty. It was believed the ritual was a way of connecting to the energies of the universe. L-shaped pipes were commonly used in peace ceremonies. The L-shaped red stone pipe, has a simple form with a fronding pattern to upper-side of the stem. It is believed to be made from Catlinite, a claystone found locally. The pipe bowls in the collection were most likely gifted to De Peyster at a meeting of the Nations of the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi, in 1775.