Used to invoke healing elements during special ceremonies, the medicine pipe is a highly important symbol of the duality of indigenous science and spirituality.
Among the many items associated with indigenous healing rituals, the medicine pipe has the most misinformation associated with it. In the quest for a better understanding of Native American cultural practices it is easy to misrepresent the facts when comparing an object that is found throughout the continent. The medicine pipe is found in almost every culture throughout North America and is used in ceremonies as a means of invoking the healing elements. In some instances, the medicine pipe is known as a peace pipe. Although the term peace pipe has generally been assigned to a device used primarily in secular, non-medicinal ceremonies. The nomenclature is determined by the circumstances surrounding the use of the pipe. Additionally, the importance of the medicine pipe is totally dependant upon the tribal mythology surrounding the item.
Whereas there is no singular example that represents all indigenous culture, there are most certainly highly documented examples of just how the medicine pipe was employed in the healing ritual. The Mandan tribe for example, used the medicine pipe in the midst of healing ceremonies in order to summon the Great Spirit. After the healers and primary leaders of the community partook of the smoke, it was customary to offer the pipe heavenward in the four cardinal directions so that the Great Spirit may also share. All those gathered at the ritual also partake of the pipe in order to complete the circle. This is done until all have had the opportunity to invoke the spirit. The medicine pipe is also used during special feats when it is necessary to ask the blessing of those special healing spirits.
Contained within the medicine bags of many Indian tribes is a medicine pipe. The size and scope of this medicine pipe is determined by its importance within the tribe itself. The Sioux, Arapaho, Mandan, Cheyenne, and Plains Indian tribes each have a unique mythos surrounding their medicine pipes. In Sioux mythology, the calf of a white buffalo (an animal spirit of great esteem among the Sioux) once gave a ceremonial pipe to the tribe as a gift. The pipe became a part of the pharmacopeia of medicinal/spiritual practices among the Sioux Nation and was incorporated into the tribe’s ceremonial medicine bag. Similar stories permeate throughout the Midwestern United States.
The most common misconception regarding the medicine pipe is what it contains when smoked during such a ritual. While there are a variety of herbal intoxicants that are used in healing rituals, the primary herb used in the medicine pipe is tobacco. As a symbol of indigenous faith in the healing nature of the supernatural forces surrounding a community, the medicine pipe is among the most important cultural items. Still in use today, the medicine pipe stands and an enduring symbol of the spiritual beliefs of Native American communities.
David M Jones and Brian L Molyneaux, Mythology of the American Nations. (London: Hermes House, 2006).
Gilbert Legay, Atlas of Indians. (Hauppage: Barron’s Educational Services, Inc., 1995)
Peter Matthiessen, ed., George Catlin: North American Indians. (New York: Penguin Group, 1989).
Mark St. Pierre and Tilda Long Soldier, Walking in the Sacred Manner: Healers, Dreamers, and Pipe Carriers—Medicine Women of the Plains. (New York: Simon and Schuster,1995).
Carl Waldman, Atlas of the North American Indian. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2000).
Carl Waldman, Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2006).
