Eastern, Sioux. <em>Carved and Inlayed Spiral Pipe Stem</em>, early 19th century. Ash wood, lead, 42 1/4 x 2 x 2 in. (107.3 x 5.1 x 5.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Henry L. Batterman Fund and the Frank Sherman Benson Fund, 50.67.93. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 50.67.93_detail1_SL4.jpg)

Eastern, Sioux. Carved and Inlayed Spiral Pipe Stem, early 19th century. Ash wood, lead, 42 1/4 x 2 x 2 in. (107.3 x 5.1 x 5.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Henry L. Batterman Fund and the Frank Sherman Benson Fund, 50.67.93. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 50.67.93_detail1_SL4.jpg)

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Hi, I'm looking at the Carved and Inlaid Spiral Pipe Stem by the Eastern Sioux artist, and was wondering, what would this pipe be used to smoke? It's really long!

Likely these pipes were used to smoke tobacco. Smoking pipes are an important part of many ritual ceremonies in Native cultures, including the Eastern Sioux.

Do you know what this was used for?

The spiral-shaped object is a pipe stem by an Eastern Sioux artist. It would have been part of the ceremonial equipment used in tobacco smoking.

What about the club?

It is a Ball-headed War Club by a Chippewa (Ojibwe) artist. These clubs, and those of similar design, were used throughout the Great Lakes region. If you look closely, there are birds and men carved onto the surface. The club was a weapon but it could also have been carried during ceremonies as a status object indicating that the man was a great warrior.

What was this used for?

This would have been used in a tobacco smoking ceremony. The pipe stem would have been attached to the pipe itself. A number of natural and supernatural animals are carved onto the stem.

I like it! Would smoke travel through the length of the stem?

Yes, a hole is drilled through the center of the pipe stem.

Was this made by hand? And if so how was the spiraling accomplished?

Hi there! This was certainly made by hand! Let me get more info on how!

According to our notes, this pipe was carved out of a solid piece. Wood was simply carved away to leave final spiral shape.

Ah! And the hole?

That confused me a little too. Practically, I believe they would need to drill to the hole first. Interestingly, looking at other examples of these spiral pipes, this is one of the thinnest and most twisted examples known.

Carved and Inlayed Spiral Pipe Stem

Arts of the Americas

The Jarvis Collection of Native American Plains Art

The articles in this case and the adjacent clothing case are some of the earliest and finest Eastern Plains pieces in existence. They were collected by Dr. Nathan Sturges Jarvis, a military surgeon stationed at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, between 1833 and 1836. He purchased some of the objects, while some may have been given in exchange for his medical services. These works display indigenous people’s ingenuity in combining trade materials such as cloth, metal, and glass beads with traditional hides, red pipestone, and porcupine and bird quills.

CULTURE Eastern, Sioux

MEDIUM Ash wood, lead

Place Collected: Fort Snelling, Minnesota, United States

DATES early 19th century

DIMENSIONS 42 1/4 x 2 x 2 in. (107.3 x 5.1 x 5.1 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Arts of the Americas

ACCESSION NUMBER 50.67.93

CREDIT LINE Henry L. Batterman Fund and the Frank Sherman Benson Fund

PROVENANCE Prior to 1848, provenance not yet documented; by 1848, acquired by Nathan Sturges Jarvis; 1848, gift of Nathan Sturges Jarvis to the New-York Historical Society, New York, NY; 1937, loaned by the New-York Historical Society to the Brooklyn Museum; 1950, purchased from the New-York Historical Society by the Brooklyn Museum.

Provenance FAQ

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Carved ash wood pipe in a spiral form. Decoration with lead inlays; a fish appears inside one of the spiral curves, and the flat section on the end has four thunderbirds inlaid on one side and two buffalo heads and two animals (bears?) on the other side. The spiral section is further decorated with burn marks from a searing tool.

EXHIBITIONS

American Art

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Eastern, Sioux. Carved and Inlayed Spiral Pipe Stem, early 19th century. Ash wood, lead, 42 1/4 x 2 x 2 in. (107.3 x 5.1 x 5.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Henry L. Batterman Fund and the Frank Sherman Benson Fund, 50.67.93. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 50.67.93_detail1_SL4.jpg)

IMAGE detail, 50.67.93_detail1_SL4.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2014

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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

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