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
You know one of the things I liked about the video of River? It\'s how he starts out awkward and almost immediately starts working as if what he is doing is familiar to him. Plus, I love seeing older people handing down \"old ways\" to our children. There is something timeless about it, something that transcends the here and now and connects us with people throughout history.
I just noticed what it says on Angus\' t-shirt! I love it!!!
Funny thing, I have a similar version of the same shirt!
August 10, 2009, was the day of my final encounter with the Social Work Board, and the day of their official pronouncement that my unforgiveable conduct against my clients is that I accompanied them to the sweatlodge prayer ceremony, related to them \"as a therapist, mentor, and friend,\" and then kept the thank-you writings they gave to me as a result. As a family, we\'ve decided that August 10 is now our annual \"perfect day.\" It\'s a day of celebration.
It is beyond comprehension how they saw what you did as \'unforgivable conduct\' - I am supposed to keep thank you cards in my appraisal folder and they get looked at annually! the total antithesis of what happened to you.
The other thing I keep thinking about as you write of how unjustly you have been treated is of the principle of double effect - a moral code which says if there are two possible outcomes to a \'treatment\' - one good, one bad, then it is not morally wrong to give it, if the intended outcome is good. Surely, they could have applied that in your case?
Your grace and forgiveness is just amazing in the face of such injustice. I will mark August 10th on my calendar and think of all four of you on your perfect day.
I\'m going to do the same!!
You make a perfect day. I\'ll make voodoo dolls. ;)
Oh, I didn\'t say I\'m altogether forgiving. I\'m fuming angry at them. But the DAY is a celebration of being set free of them. If those are their values, then I\'m pleased to have been found on the contrary side of them. And one reason it\'s a perfect day is that on it, I can celebrate the fact that I have friends who make voodoo dolls.
Can recommend plate smashing too!
This is awesome! I can\'t wait to see it! River made his own, or you worked on this one together?
I like the voodoo doll idea.
River was given a piece of sacred pipestone by Chuck Derby, a Dakota elder who passed away last year. River hasn\'t done anything with it because he hasn\'t known how.
hahahahahahahahaha ... voodoo dolls! Great comment, Scuba.
Argus Dowdy is the Ollivander of pipe-making.