The Pipe of Peace Treaty
The sacred pipe given by White Buffalo Calf Woman serves as the ultimate symbol of peace among the Lakota. When two warring tribes wished to end hostilities, they would smoke the pipe together. The pipe bowl, made of red stone, represents the earth; the wooden stem represents all that grows upon the earth. The smoke rising carries prayers to Wakan Tanka. To smoke the pipe in ceremony is to pray with and for all the universe. The pipe is pointed to the sky (for the Creator), to the earth (for Grandmother Earth), and to the four directions before smoking. The pipe ceremony remains central to Lak