Small pipe with bear effigy atop shank. “Elbow” style. Bowl flared at rim.

The significance of a pipe is within the smoke. The smoke carries words to god, it creates a connection between people and the supernatural. Smoking serves as a link between the world of the visible and the invisible world. This pipe bowl has ritual significance indicated by the bear effigy, or it may have had clan meaning. The pipe bowl is the significant part of a pipe in the Southeast.

Tags: pipe bowl, effigy
People: Cherokee
Places: Southeast, Oklahoma
Purpose: ceremonial events

From interviews with Dr. Garrick Bailey, 2018-2020 University of Tulsa, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology