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Calumet Stem and Pipe Bowl
Not on view
This calumet, or round-stemmed ceremonial pipe, is adorned with bald-eagle feathers, porcupine quillwork, and the scalp feathers of a male Mallard duck. For Plains peoples, the sharing of a pipe was the most important ritual for creating relationships with others outside the tribe. The act of smoking together connected participants to higher powers and affirmed alliances; it was often accompanied by a ceremony called the Calumet Dance. A pipe itself was commonly presented as a diplomatic gift.
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