Carved and Inlayed Spiral Pipe Stem
1 of 4
Object Label
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.
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)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
Carved and Inlayed Spiral Pipe Stem
Date
early 19th century
Geography
Place collected: Fort Snelling, Minnesota, United States
Medium
Ash wood, lead
Classification
Dimensions
42 1/4 x 2 x 2 in. (107.3 x 5.1 x 5.1 cm)
Credit Line
Henry L. Batterman Fund and the Frank Sherman Benson Fund
Accession Number
50.67.93
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
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.
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