Calumet (Pipe Bowl and Stem)

The use of tobacco as a sacrament was a central feature of many American Indian cultures throughout North America. Pipe ceremonialism was highly developed in the Woodlands, Prairie and Plains regions, and pipe bowls and wooden stems were among the most important sculptural forms produced by Native American men. This finely carved calumet is distinguished by the undulating contour of the stem and its elegant proportion. The irregular linear pattern resulting from the exposed wood grain was used to great effect in both defining and emphasizing the stem's rhythmic sculptural volumes.