Calumet (Peace Pipe)
The calumet, or chanunpa in Lakota, is the sacred pipe of Plains peoples, a stone bowl joined to a wooden stem, smoked in ceremonies of prayer, treaty and peace. In Lakota tradition the chanunpa was given to the people by White Buffalo Calf Woman, who taught its songs and the meaning of its smoke as a bridge between humans and the sacred. The word 'calumet' came from French traders by way of a Norman term for a reed pipe, reflecting how early Europeans witnessed its power to seal alliances. Catlinite, the red pipestone of southwestern Minnesota, was traded widely for the finest bowls. A pipe w