Another important possession of Plains Indians was the
sacred pipe. Some pipes were owned by the entire tribe.
These beautifully crafted objects, with long wooden
stems (sometimes as long as five feet) and stone bowls,
are usually called peace pipes, although they were used in
other ceremonies besides peace councils. Another name
for them was calumet. Ash and sumac were the favorite
woods for the stems because they were soft enough to be
hollowed out easily. The chosen stone for carving the
bowl was catlinite, also called pipestone. A pipestone
quarry is located in Minnesota. Many different tribes
came from far and wide to acquire the red-colored stone
that was soft enough to carve with a knife until it dried
in the air. Another workable stone was steatite, or soapstone.
Sacred pipes were decorated with feathers, quills
(later beads), fur, and horsehair. The most common
smoking substance was tobacco, although other plants
alone or in combination were used too.
