Evening star., 1937-06-21
FLAT PIPE" RITES
SEEN BY DC. MAN
John G. Carter First White
Man to Witness Indian
Ceremony.

the Northern Arapho Indians-per-
haps the most secretive and exclusive
aboriginal rite still practiced in North
Americas described in detail In a
manuscript just deposited with the
Smithsonian Institution by the only
white man ever to take part in it
John G. Carter, 342s Ashley terrace,
an attorney with extensive Indian ex-
per1ence.
The ceremony revolved around a
peculiarly carved stone pipe, which,
to the Arapaho, is the holiest object
on earth. 1t is supposed to be the
identical pipe which was carried by
the mystical grandfather" OF man.
kind, who, at the beginning OF time,
was swimming about in the primeval
sea. A transcendantal turtle dived
to the bottom and brought up 4
mouthful Of soil for "grandfather" to
rest his pipe upon-and this was the
beginning OF the earth.
Held by Priestly Family.
The pipe is held in the most ex-
treme reverence. 1t is held in the
custody of one priestly family. Only
f1ve or six times previously has a
white man been permitted to see it.
Carter who has close friends in the
Arapaho tribe, was allowed, however
TO act as glyer Of the ceremony
through the influence of George Fri
day, chairman Of the Arapaho Tribal
Council on the Wind River Reserya-
ton in Wyoming.
Most Indian religious therapeutic
ceremonies are performed for the
benefit OF an individual, who pays for
the supposed benefits in ways pre-
scribed by tribal radition-usually by
providing food and various objects.
But the person first must be deemed
worthy. And in the past very few
and these after long g-tested friend
ship-have been considered worthy
even to look upon the pipe, to say
nothing Of taking part in the cere-
mony.
Many Of the Northern Arapaho have
been converted to Christianity. but
they have carried over the cult of the
sacred pipe into the new faith. They
refer to 1t as the chariot Of God" The
shadow Of the man who looks upon
1t, they say, is transported to heaven.
Through the ages many taboos have
grown up about the object. One is
that it cannot be carried on horseba ok,
When the Arapaho were a nomadic.
blson-hunting tribe. forever on the
move, the keeper Of the pipe had to
walk behind the horsemen, accom-
panied by a guard. This superstition
delayed marches and may have been
an important factor in keeping the
tribe compact unit.
The covering Of the pipe''-the Ger
emony in which Carter was permitted
to take leading parts essentially a
medicine rite performed to promote the
health and fortune of the "coverer"
and his family. First he must provide
about a yard Of felt cloth. OF a sort
once sold by Indian traders, but now
no longer sold or manufactured. It is
almost unobtainable and no other
cloth will serve the purpose. This is
to be added to the wrappings of the
pipe. The "coverer' must also give a
peculiar form Of shells. once abundant,
but now difficult to obtain. He must
also provide supply Of food which is
blessed by the pipe keeper and distrib-
uted to the people.
Elaborate Ceremony.
The sacred pipe is exposed only after
long and elaborate ceremony. One
intricate part Of this is the painting
of the coverer." The painting begins
on the bare feet with a fiyed arrange
ment of red dots Red stripes are
painted up the middle Of each leg.
Then the palms of the hands, wrists,
forearms. forehead and face are paint
ed in order with appropriate designs.
1t is an inviolable rule that the paint
cannot be washed off with water until
the next day, although it may be re-
moved with vaseline.
The next major feature Of the cere-
mony, as recounted by Mr.. Carter, is
the bringing out of the sacred turtle.
This is apparently the skeleton Of a
mud turtle which is kept in the second
pack which accompanies the pipe.
1t is. according to Arapaho belief, the
identical turtle which, at the begin
ming Of earthly time, dived into the
primaeval waters which covered the
world and brought up mouthful OF
soil for the grandfather" to rest the
sacred pipe upon. Various parts of
the body must be touched with this
turtle, according to prescribed ritual.
1t is supposed to have great thera-
peutic virtue.
The final step is the exposure of
the pipe itself. Apparently-the cir
cumstances, of course, prevent any
careful examination-it is pipe of
yellowish red sandstone with the end
Of the stem carved in the shape of a
turtle head. The pipe is laid on the
ground ana the "coverer" walks upon
it barefoot. The virtue of the holy
object is supposed to pass into his
body.