22" Black Pipestone Tomahawk Pipe w/ Sumac Stem

This large Tomahawk or Hatchet pipe was handcrafted out of Black Pipestone or Steatite.

Steatite is a material that has been used for centuries by Native Americans to craft Sacred Pipes, pots and pans, spoons, and many other items out of. Steatite stands up exceptionally well to high temperatures, so it is an ideal material to use for ceremonial pipes.

The total length of this pipe, including the stem or handle is 22-1/8". The bowl itself measures 3-11/16" long and it is 5-5/16" tall.

The idea for this pipe came from one that is pictured in the book: Collector's Guide to Indian Pipes that was written by Lar Hothem . The pipe and picture that gave us the idea to make this one is on page 21 of this book. The pipe in the book was made out of catlinite but we took some liberties with the design and added some of our own artistic interpretations. We decided to use black pipestone instead of red. We thought the color contrast might really make the pipe look nice. We also made the pipe smaller than the one that is in the book and we put a little bit different floral designs on the bowl.

As you can see on the first 2 photo's, the pipe we made is designed on both sides. It does include similar cut-outs on the blade part, as the pipe that is shown in Lar Hothem's book.

The stem is made out of a beautiful greenish colored piece of Sumac that was gathered by us in Minnesota. It has dried for many years, to ensure that it will not start to "crack" over time. Sumac is a smaller type tree that has a soft pithy core than can be burned through. It has been used as stems for ceremonial pipes for many, many, years. This stem has been beaded in traditional Sioux fashion with a fancy design. The beads are laid upon some nice soft deer leather and there are fringes that hang down about 3-1/2" from the stem.