Pass the Pipe

You've probably heard the expression "pass the peace pipe." It might have been when two parties struck a compromise after previously being at an impasse. The phrase comes from early American settlers and soldiers who noticed Indigenous peoples smoking ceremonial pipes during treaty signings. They misunderstood this to mean pipe smoking symbolized peacemaking in Native American culture and hence the word "peace pipe" and phrases like "pass the peace pipe" came about.
 

But, like many conventional American ideas about the history and culture of Indigenous peoples, the term peace pipe is a misnomer, says Gabrielle Drapeau, an interpretive park ranger at Minnesota's Pipestone National Monument and an enrolled member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. Tribal enrollment requirements preserve the unique character and traditions of each tribe. The tribes establish membership criteria based on shared customs, traditions, language and tribal blood.
 

Many Native Americans smoke pipes -- and not just in recognition of peace, but in ceremony and prayer as well as a way to connect with God. "So, don't use the term peace pipe," Drapeau says. "It's just pipe."
 

But these were -- and are still -- not just pipes. These artifacts, the tradition of pipe smoking and the ceremonies during which they are smoked hold far more significance for American Indian peoples across North America than the misnomer conveys.
 

A Short History of the Ceremonial Pipe
 

There is no singular word for these ceremonial pipes that spans all Native American cultures. The broad term often given to them is calumet, from the French word chalumet, which means reed or flute. Various tribes have their own unique names in their own languages. For example, the Lakota sacred pipe is called a chanunpa. 

 

Ceremonial pipes have been a part of several Native American cultures for at least 5,000 years and are still used for ceremony and prayer. "I grew up this way. It's the only way I know how to pray," Drapeau says. "To me, it is like a physical representation of your connection to God."
 

The legends of how tribe elders first received pipes differ, too. According to Lakota legend, the first pipe was brought to Earth 19 generations ago by a divine messenger known as White Buffalo Calf Woman (known in the Lakota language as Pte-san Win-yan). The pipe was given to the people who would not forget -- the Oceti Sakowin, or Seven Council Fires of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota nations. The Buffalo Calf Woman came to the tribes when there was a great famine and instructed them about living in balance with nature. She gifted the people with a sacred bundle containing the White Buffalo Calf Pipe, which still exists to this day and is kept by Chief Arvol Looking Horse of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Other members of the tribes are also pipe carriers: stewards entrusted with the care of particular ceremonial and personal pipes.

Chief Arvol Looking Horse Calls for Unity

All Nations, All Faiths, One Prayer: Chief Arvol Looking Horse, 19th Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe, calls on people from around the globe to gather at sacred places on June 21 and join in prayer for the healing and protection of Grandmother Earth.
 

June 21, 2022
 

We warned that one day you would not be able to control what you have created, that day is here. Now we must unite once again to create an energy shift upon Grandmother Earth. She cannot take any more impact from all the selfish decisions being made.
 

We have come to that place in this time upon Earth, to now make a stand together. To unite -- each in our own sacred life-ways we have chosen to walk, whatever religion or belief, go to your sacred spaces and join us in these special prayers for the Earth on June 21st. It has been proven we can create miracles when we unite spiritually.
 

Many white animals have shown their sacred color throughout the world now, and they continue to communicate that we are at the crossroads. We have walked through two years of losing many relatives through a terrible disease, and so have the animals and plant life also continue to suffer. The imbalance of Mni wic'oni (water of life) causing droughts and fires to severe flooding is everywhere, and I feel more suffering is to come from all these poor choices that are being made.
 

I humbly request a time from each of the two legged in this world to send a prayer to heal our precious Earth and the balance of Mni wic'oni to be restored. Begin to prepare in your homelands to unite -- All Nations, All Faiths, One Prayer -- for the sake of Grandmother Earth, our source of life not a resource.
 

In a sacred hoop of life where there is no ending in no beginning.
Chief Arvol Looking Horse
19th Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe

 

Source: Last Real Indians

Pipestone's Sacred Story

On Aug. 25, 1937, the U.S. established Pipestone National Monument in Southwest Minnesota. The monument covers 301 acres and includes quarry pits and the prairie landscape surrounding them. Today indigenous people from across North America come to the site to work the pipestone at 56 active pits, offering up the soft red stone so famously used for ceremonial pipes and other items. A gentle slope marks the eastern edge of a long plateau that begins in the Dakotas and runs southeast to Iowa. In Pipestone County, the slope is broken by stone outcroppings that native peoples have quarried for centuries.
 

For Native Americans, this land is sacred. For the Oceti Sakowin, the people of the Seven Council Fires, which includes Dakota and Lakota speaking tribes, it’s a place of creation. Among the Oceti Sakowin, the Yankton Sioux of South Dakota are known as the protectors of the quarry. Though pipestone exists at many locations in North America, the quarries at Pipestone National Monument became the preferred source of pipestone among tribes living on the Great Plains because of the quality of the stone.

Pipestone is a relatively soft stone that’s well-suited to hand carving. However, it’s typically found sandwiched between extremely hard layers of Sioux quartzite, and extracting the stone can be hard work. Contemporary indigenous people maintain the tradition of hand-quarrying stone using only sledgehammers, chisels, pry bars and wedges. They’re taught to use all the quarried stone, if possible, or return it to Mother Earth. Over the years, skilled artisans have created many pipe designs, including long-stemmed pipes, elbow and disk forms and a T-shaped calumet. Carvers also have made elaborate animal and human effigies.
 

Oral traditions of the Oceti Sakowin tell how pipestone was created by the red blood of the ancestors, and of how smoke carries prayers to the Great Spirit, making the pipes created from the red rock highly sacred. Pipestone pipes have been, and are still, used in ceremonies, given as gifts and traded. Native Americans store pipe bowls, stems and tobacco with other sacred objects. They also bury pipes with the dead. Sacred pipes have inspired stories that have been passed down for generations.
 

According to Lakota legend, the first pipe was brought to Earth 19 generations ago by a divine messenger known as White Buffalo Calf Woman (known in the Lakota language as Pte-san Win-yan). The pipe was given to the people who would not forget--the Oceti Sakowin, or Seven Council Fires of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota nations. The Buffalo Calf Woman came to the tribes when there was a great famine and instructed them about living in balance with nature. She gifted the people with a sacred bundle containing the White Buffalo Calf Pipe, which still exists to this day and is kept by Chief Arvol Looking Horse of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Other members of the tribes are also pipe carriers: stewards entrusted with the care of particular ceremonial and personal pipes.
 

White Buffalo Calf Woman taught them all the things they needed to know about making, handling and caring for the pipe, and about how to use it for praying. She explained to the people that the pipe was a symbol of everything in the world. She told them that the red stone bowl of the pipe represented the Earth Mother and the feminine aspects of the world. The buffalo calf carved in the stone represented all the four-legged animals which live upon the Mother. She told them that the wooden pipe stem represented the Sky Father, the plants and the masculine aspects of the world.
 

The Buffalo Calf Woman explained that when the stem and bowl were joined, they symbolized a union and a balance between the sacred masculine and the sacred feminine. She told them that the smoking of the pipe linked the smoker to all things in the universe. The smoke from the pipe carried the prayers of the people directly to the Creator. When the pipe was used properly, the buffalo would return and the people would be able to eat well.
 

Over a period of four days, White Buffalo Calf Woman instructed the people in the Seven Sacred Rites: the seven traditional rituals that use the sacred pipe. When the teaching of the sacred rites was complete, she told the people that she must return to the spirit world. She asked them to honor the teachings of the pipe and to keep it in a sacred manner. Before leaving, the woman told them that within her were four ages, and that she would look upon the people in each age, returning at the end of the fourth age to restore harmony and balance to a troubled world. She said she would send a sign that her return was near in the form of an unusual buffalo, which would be born white.
 

The holy woman then took leave of the people. As she walked away, she stopped and rolled over four times, changing appearance each time. The first time, she turned into a black buffalo calf; the second time into a red one; the third time into a yellow buckskin one; and finally, the fourth time she rolled over, she turned into a white buffalo calf. These four colors then became associated with the powers of the four directions for the Lakota. The holy entity then disappeared over the horizon. It is said after that day the people honored their pipe, and the buffalo were plentiful.

Rare White Bison Spotted in Ozark Mountains

A surprising new guest has arrived at Dogwood Canyon Nature Park in Missouri's Ozark Mountains: a rare white bison calf. Named Takoda, a Lakota word meaning "friend to everyone," he was born on a private ranch and came to live with the herd of bison currently roaming Dogwood Canyon earlier this year.

A white bison's birth was once a very rare occurrence, with some estimates stating that only one in 10,000,000 bison were born white. However, you may now encounter one of these majestic creatures thanks to the work of conservationists. Though still rare, the phenomenon is more common due to crossbreeding as a result of attempts by ranchers to save the species from extinction after original populations plummeted to only a few hundred between 1830 and 1900.

According to traditional Native American teachings spanning thousands of years, the white bison is a sacred animal that promotes prayerful communication between Indigenous people and the Great Spirit, while also serving as a sign of peace and good fortune. The legend goes likes this:

 
Long ago during a great famine, a Lakota chief sent two boys to hunt for food. While searching, they came across a beautiful holy woman, who gifted their tribe the first sacred pipe: the White Buffalo Calf Pipe. Over a period of four days, White Buffalo Calf Woman instructed the people in the Seven Sacred Rites: the seven traditional rituals that use the sacred pipe. When the teaching of the sacred rites was complete, she told the people that she must return to the spirit world. She asked them to honor the teachings of the pipe and to keep it in a sacred manner. Before leaving, the woman told them that within her were four ages, and that she would look upon the people in each age, returning at the end of the fourth age to restore harmony and balance to a troubled world. She said she would send a sign that her return was near in the form of an unusual buffalo, which would be born white.

The prophecy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman is of great spiritual significance to the Lakota and many other tribes. Lakota holy man John Fire Lame Deer once said, "A white buffalo is the most sacred living thing you could ever encounter." Lakota people see the birth of a white buffalo calf as the most significant of prophetic signs. Some Lakota equate the birth of a white buffalo calf to the second coming of Christ. As Oglala  Lakota medicine man Floyd Looks For Buffalo Hand puts it, "The arrival of the white buffalo is like the second coming of Christ. It will bring about purity of mind, body, and spirit and unify all nations--black, red, yellow, and white."

Honoring the Birth of a White Buffalo Calf

About 30 people, including members from all seven tribes in Montana, gathered Aug. 29 in Lolo, Montana to celebrate and honor the birth of a white buffalo calf. The female calf was born about two months ago at the Bitterroot Valley Bison Ranch. At the ceremony, tribal members named her the Creator's White Buffalo Maiden. Experts say the birth of a white buffalo is "extremely rare," and for many tribal members, the extraordinary animal holds spiritual power and cultural significance. Lakota holy man John Fire Lame Deer once said, "A white buffalo is the most sacred living thing you could ever encounter."
 

Blair Gopher, member of the Blackfeet and Ojibwe tribes and pipe server at the ceremony, said a white buffalo is symbolic of a message from the Creator, or Great Spirit. "We are thankful to the Creator for sending the calf. It's seen as a warning and a blessing," he said.  
 

Many tribal members who attended the ceremony said the calf is symbolic of widespread unrest. "I think the reason the Creator sent this calf here is because of all the injustice that's been done," said Glenn Gopher, who conducted the ceremony. "Our country is in serious chaos. We have this virus and we have racial injustice. Our world is corrupt."
 

But Glenn added that the buffalo is also a blessing, as she symbolizes hope for a better future. "She shows that we need to love and respect one another. Refrain from hatred and racism. Love and respect are what's missing in this country; our lawmakers are out of hand. We prayed for peace and harmony for all of mankind," he said.
 

Carol Dubay, matriarch of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai and Pend d'Oreille tribes, said the calf looked "strong." "She was so happy. She was frolicking and dancing. The buffalo are calling, and we are honored," she said.
 

Jimmy StGoddard, member of the Blackfeet Nation, said he'd "never seen such enlightenment." "Everything shook when she was born," he said of the calf.
 

Frank LaPier, who serves on the Little Shell Tribe's Cultural Committee, said he attended the ceremony to heal. "I had a stroke a few weeks before, and if it weren't for the prayers and the support from the tribes, I wouldn't be here. It was such a unique moment," he said.
 

Richard Parenteau, vice-chair of the Little Shell Tribe's Cultural Committee, added that he couldn't help but notice the buffalo was born the same year the Little Shell Tribe gained federal recognition status. "It's really beyond words. It's just amazing," he said. "It was a spiritual awakening to see her."
 

Because the buffalo calf is female, many who attended the ceremony said her birth is a sign that more women should hold positions of power. "Our women have been abused, and we need to pray for better leadership in this country," said Blair Gopher. "Women will lead, and we must respect them."
 

Mary Gopher Parenteau, who led the women's pipe ceremony, said she brought her 12-year-old daughter to see the buffalo to instill in her a sense of pride. "(My daughter's) spiritual name is The White Buffalo Woman, so it was wonderful for her to be connected to this moment," she said.
 
How rare is a white buffalo? Historically, white buffalo appeared once in every five million births. Since people have started breeding bison, in the last 20 years or so, more white calves have been born. Experts now estimate a white buffalo is born once in every one million births.

Indigenous Youth Excluded from UN Climate Summit

On September 21 the United Nations held its first-ever Youth Climate Summit, but Indigenous youth were excluded from the sessions. They were given their own event, which was poorly attended. Makasa Looking Horse was invited to open the youth summit with a blessing. The 25-year-old leader is Lakota and Mohawk from Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. She is the daughter of Chief Arvol Looking Horse, the 19th generation keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Woman pipe.

"I did not come here to play, or this isn't for show," she said, holding the pipe ahead of her prayer.

Looking Horse told youth delegates that the White Buffalo Calf Woman "declared we treat all of creation with respect to honor our mother," adding "she warned my people of the time we are in today, and that she would return to help us as a white buffalo calf."

She said that prophesy has begun. "I will honor her today for asking, honor her today for her blessing to guide us, the seventh generation."

Beyond the blessing, the Indigenous youth felt excluded from the summit and left feeling dejected, they said.

"They need to provide space and get Indigenous people there in those spaces to truly make a difference, I think, because we already have the knowledge, we already know what we're doing. We know what we want," Looking Horse told APTN (Aboriginal Peoples Television Network) News.

"There was a disconnect," she said, adding the global youth and Indigenous youth were "both talking about the same thing, and we're in two different rooms. And I think that speaks volumes about how this topic is treated regarding Indigenous people."

Looking Horse said she valued the time she was given to open the youth summit with a blessing, but said knowledge like the teachings of the White Buffalo Calf Woman pipe will not be heard if Indigenous peoples aren't meaningfully included in plans for climate action.

"The message that the White Buffalo Calf Woman gave us was to always work in unity and keep praying together with our bundles, our pipes, because that's the only way that we will get through the tough times that are coming," she said.

New Arrival of Sacred White Bison Calf

A white bison calf was born last week at the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation in Manitoba, Canada, bringing the number of the extremely rare animals in the herd to five. Herd caretaker Tony Tacan says the white buffalo mother has had five calves in total -- one brown and four white -- even though all the fathers were brown. Just how unusual that really is depends on the source of information, but all agree it's a rare and deeply spiritual event for this community and beyond.

"The first calf she produced was brown and the ones after that were all white," says Tacan. "Nobody ever expects this to happen. There's a reason this is happening, and all we can do is share it with our First Nations brothers and sisters so they have a place to come and pray for people who would otherwise feel hopeless."

The Dakota, Lakota and Nakota people see the birth of a white bison calf as a sign that the prophecy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman is now coming true. According to Lakota legend, the first sacred pipe was brought to Earth 19 generations ago by a divine messenger known as White Buffalo Calf Woman (known in the Lakota language as Pte-san Win-yan). The pipe was given to the people who would not forget -- the Oceti Sakowin, or Seven Council Fires of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota nations. The Buffalo Calf Woman came to the tribes when there was a great famine and instructed them about living in balance with nature. She gifted the people with a sacred bundle containing the White Buffalo Calf Pipe, which still exists to this day and is kept by Chief Arvol Looking Horse of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.

Over a period of four days, White Buffalo Calf Woman instructed the people in the Seven Sacred Rites: the seven traditional rituals that use the sacred pipe. When the teaching of the sacred rites was complete, she told the people that she must return to the spirit world. She asked them to honor the teachings of the pipe and to keep it in a sacred manner. Before leaving, the woman told them that within her were four ages, and that she would look upon the people in each age, returning at the end of the fourth age to restore harmony and balance to a troubled world. She said she would send a sign that her return was near in the form of an unusual buffalo, which would be born white.

Since then, the vast herds of bison that once migrated across the North American plains have dwindled, hunted into near extinction by nineteenth-century non-indigenous hunters. With their numbers reduced at one time to a mere 500 animals, and the chances of a white calf being born estimated at one in ten million, the fulfillment of the prophecy of White Buffalo Calf Woman seemed improbable. However, a white buffalo calf was born in 1994, and since then at least four to six of these sacred buffalo calves have been born every year. Even more significant was the virgin birth of a white buffalo calf at the Woodland Zoo in Farmington, Pennsylvania in 2006. It would be hard to believe, but Chief Arvol Looking Horse, 19th generation keeper of the White Buffalo Calf Pipe Bundle, has confirmed that a female buffalo gave birth in captivity without artificial insemination or a male buffalo present. Chief Looking Horse believes that these are all signs that the prophecy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman is now coming true.