Pipe Stem

Most pipes made entirely of catlinite were produced by Lakota carvers, but the iconography of this work suggests an Osage origin. The depiction of the human head as the bowl continues a longstanding Plains and Woodlands tradition, but the stem, with its progression of human hands carved in relief along its length, is unusual. The hand was a principal motif in Osage art, usually representing war honors: deeds such as touching the enemy in battle, vanquishing another warrior in hand-to-hand combat or capturing an enemy. On Osage women's blankets, however, they represent friendship and unity.