Pipe-making
Argus Dowdy, the best living prayer-pipe maker, is passing his skills down to me. For a few weeks now, I've traveled to his home every weekend in Skiatook, Oklahoma, about 3 hours away. He's helping me learn the very old way of carving pipestone, including using a hand drill to bore the hole, and designing the entire thing with hand files (no mechanical tools). He's also showing me how to inlay the stone with silver, as was done in the 1800s (except then they used bullet lead because it was more available). We're going to start carving the stem out of ash this week, and bore the hole with a rod of red-hot metal, inch by painstaking inch. The stem will be decorated with porcupine quill work, and will have slots carved into it that will be used to for tying on Sun Dance ribbons.
Argus makes pipe sculptures for art shows that are purely commercial, and they sell for thousands of dollars. A traditional prayer pipe, however, must never be bought and sold because it is a living thing, and he is going to make mine with me and give it to me. During the entire process, he's sharing a lot of stories and teachings and humor, plus he's welcomed my kids into his home to watch and learn, too.
The design of the pipe we're making is one I came up with, and every tiny detail has meaning. Some of the designs might only be recognized by very traditional Ojibways. Argus wants me to use this pipe for healing prayers for people who have been harmed in some way (imagine that!), and has asked me to design it purely as a healing/peacemaking tool.
In the Indian way, any person who gives you tobacco and asks for prayer MUST have their request accepted--it is forbidden to deny the request of any person who asks to be prayed with in this way. Working with Argus is an amazing experience, because he is one of the true living legends of ancient pipe lore. In fact, he's the founder of the Pipekeepers group of Indians from many tribes who are working together to protect the sacred pipestone and pipes from misuse by preserving endangered traditions.
Pipe bowl, completed:
Porcupine quills, before dyeing:
Argus makes pipe sculptures for art shows that are purely commercial, and they sell for thousands of dollars. A traditional prayer pipe, however, must never be bought and sold because it is a living thing, and he is going to make mine with me and give it to me. During the entire process, he's sharing a lot of stories and teachings and humor, plus he's welcomed my kids into his home to watch and learn, too.
The design of the pipe we're making is one I came up with, and every tiny detail has meaning. Some of the designs might only be recognized by very traditional Ojibways. Argus wants me to use this pipe for healing prayers for people who have been harmed in some way (imagine that!), and has asked me to design it purely as a healing/peacemaking tool.
In the Indian way, any person who gives you tobacco and asks for prayer MUST have their request accepted--it is forbidden to deny the request of any person who asks to be prayed with in this way. Working with Argus is an amazing experience, because he is one of the true living legends of ancient pipe lore. In fact, he's the founder of the Pipekeepers group of Indians from many tribes who are working together to protect the sacred pipestone and pipes from misuse by preserving endangered traditions.
Pipe bowl, completed:
Porcupine quills, before dyeing:
Replies
I couldn\'t choose \"inspirational\" and \"moving\"...but it is. Thanks for sharing.
Wow, this is really wonderful to read...loved the pictures...Leitha is right about it being inspirational and moving. I\'m so glad that you have this special opportunity.
wow... that is really great.... how many people there are who are working for the healing of others...
Wow... that is so amazing!! Thank you for sharing.
Added new pictures of the completed bowl. Next stage: the wooden stem!
Wow! This is just amazing Matt, will you be able to use it at the retreat next year?
Yes! I have all of you in mind as we work on it.
This is so cool :) it looks awesome. Well done you. How are the boys getting on with it?
We just left Argus\' house and headed back out on the winding country roads. In fact, we passed the gravel road turnoff to the retreat grounds! We\'re starting on quillwork now, so today we picked quills from a porcupine hide.
\"I have all of you in mind as we work on it.\"
That means so much, Matt. Thank you.
The quillwork will take about 3-4 hours per inch, for nine inches. But first the quills have to be picked from the porcupine and then cleaned and dyed. Altogether, this whole thing will take about 5 weeks from start to finish, not counting a month of preparation before we started. Every detail has been planned to have purpose and meaning. Argus and I have spent HOURS together going over the design, reworking it, stopping for a few days to contemplate, and then meeting again. You can\'t tell just by looking at it how many hours of filing, sandpapering, and cutting--all done in the old way, no modern mechanics. Even the stone itself was quarried by hand with a hammer and chisel. You can hardly find pipes made this way anymore; Argus is one of the few really traditional elders around who still practices it.
What an honor, Matt, to have that knowledge passed on to you and for you to become a guardian of it. The bowl is beautiful! It\'s so important to keep traditions and craft / trade skills, I wish we non-native Americans were better at it. Thanks for sharing this.
Wow. Just... wow!
Okay, Argus and I think we can have this finished on...August 10. Which is a splendid date for it.
Unlike Cheyenne people, Ojibways believe that men and women can both use these in prayers together. Which means that an Ojibway who is a \"pipe-keeper\" will share this with any person, anywhere, at any time, in contrast to Cheyenne ceremonies where men use pipes and women do not. In Ojibway religion, it is forbidden to decline any request by a person to be prayed with.
The seven circles along the sides represent the seven teachings of Ojibways (*see River\'s letter in LTS). The motif is based on an ancient inscription of a line that branches into seven offshoots that represent the seven paths of learning, with the endpoint as the ring around the tobacco opening at the top of the pipe. The tobacco in the pipe represents prayers for all things, so the symbolism is that these seven teachings lead toward a life that cares for all other life.
I feel blessed that you are sharing all this with us...the pictures...the meaning behind the pipe you are making. It is truly beautiful. Thank you.
August 10...I feel like I\'m supposed to remember the significance of that date...