This is the stem part of a pipe that probably would have had a catlinite (pipestone) or steatite pipe bowl attached.

(center in photograph)This ash wood pipe has the length carved in a spiral. Decorations along this are made with lead inlays; a fish appears inside one of the spiral curves, and the flat section on the end has four thunderbirds inlaid on one side and two buffalo heads and two animals (bears?) on the other side. The spiral section is further decorated with burn marks from a searing tool.

The original Jarvis (the collector) inscription reads "Indian pipe Uppo Miss." The pipe stem is carved in the shape of an animal. The snout looks too long on this for it to be a dog. Possibly a wolf, coyote or fox. Two brass tacks serve as eyes and the neck and lips are fire-decorated. There was originally some bone hair trim; a bird scalp and blue feathers still remain near the center. The stem is painted red and blue-green.

Henry L. Batterman Fund and the Frank Sherman Benson Fund

Brooklyn Museum Collection

This is a flat, wooden pipe stem, painted blue-green at the bowl end. The end nearer the mouth piece is decorated with a combination of colored lines which are narrow strips of braided quillwork wrapped around to encircle the flat stem. These strips are carefully planned to create a striped design from the combination of narrow bands as they are stacked or lined up one after the other. The design is red, white, blue, and black on one side and different on the reverse, consisting largely of black triangles tipped with short horizontal bands and offset by long horizontal bands. The bands are colored blackish-purple, orange and white. A hide strap is covered with long white bird quill wrapped fringes. Red horsehair is tied on at both ends of the quillwork and bird scalps are also attached.

Stem and Bowl do not look like they fit together very well but both are carved from catlinite. Common style.

This is a red catlinite (pipestone) pipe stem.