This argillite pipe bowl is in the shape of an eagle or thunderbird grasping a killer whale with its talons and beak. Generally argillite pipes are thought not to have been intended for use, but this one so closely resembles wooden smoking pipes from the northern tribes that it may be an exception. The metal cap of foreign make that closes the pipe bowl in the bird's head adds to the impression that this may have been a functional pipe. (Holm, Crooked Beak of Heaven, 1972)