Indian Pipe. Flat.
date: label: Accession Date
content: 24 Dec 1866
name: label: Donor Name
content: John Varden
notes: label: Notes
content: FROM CARD [referring to E1758 through E1967]: "1758-61 FROM WAR DEPT & NAT. INS. 1762-67 FROM SIOUX. INCLUDED AMONG THESE MAY BE FOLLOWING ITEMS; LISTED IN THE ORIGINAL CATALOG OF JOHN VARDEN'S WASHINGTON MUSEUM, (IN SMITHSONIAN ARCHIVES): "JUNE-JULY 1836 INDIAN PIPE STEM (NO. 201 OF CATALOG) FROM OSCAR MISE". "MARCH 1839 2 PIPE STEMS FROM THE OLD STOCK OF GENERAL CLARK OF ST. LOUIS FROM THE ROCKEY MOUNTAINS," OBTAINED FROM HENRY F. FLAG, WHILE VARDEN WAS IN NEW ORLEANS. HOWEVER, THESE OLD VARDEN COLLECTION SPECIMENS MIGHT HAVE BEEN THOSE INCLUDED IN CAT. NOS. 1771-77 (WHICH SEE)."
label: Notes
content: FROM CARD: "FLAT. *[identified by]. J.C. EWERS. QUILLED PIPESTEM."
label: Notes
content: Quillwork designs on pipestem include thunderbird motifs. Written on the pipestem itself is "War Dept. 1841, Missouri River, Indian pipe."
label: Notes
content: Pipestem of wood, flattened oval in section. It tapers along its length widening toward the bowl end where the wood projects to form a tubular fitting for the pipe bowl. Approximately half of the pipe, from the bowl end to the mid point is painted in a now very worn blue. The other half of the pipe has wrapped, plaited quillwork and hanging elements. The plaited quillwork forms alternating wide bands of white and orange separated by narrow brown bands with white center bands. Each wide band has geometric figures, four figures in the two bands near the mouth and six figures in the bands closer to the pipe end. The figures on the white field are brown and the figures on the orange field are blue. On the reverse side the wide bands have geometric shapes. At the ends of the quillwork are hanging and wrapped elements including quillwork bands on leather attached with leather thong and a band of feathers, black and white at the center and grey near the mouth. Dyed horsehair is attached with sinew at the midsection and at the mouth end. There are tassels attached in the same two locations. The tassels are made from thin strips of leather wrapped in quills. Both the hair and the tassels are red.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 12 Sep 2025
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Missouri River, United States, North America
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Sioux (Oceti Sakowin)
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 66A00092
label: USNM Number
content: E1766-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Pipe
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 107 cm
label: Width - Object
content: 7 cm
label: Height - Object
content: 3 cm