| Tobacco is one of the sacred medicines. We use it when we pray. It is our belief that when we hold tobacco within our fingers as we pray our prayers go into the tobacco. When the tobacco is smoked the smoke rises to the Creator and carries our prayers with it. The Teaching of the Sacred Pipe is one of the Teachings brought to the Sioux people by White Buffalo Calf Woman. There are personal pipes, working pipes and there are Peoples Pipes. Personal pipes and working pipes come in many shapes and sizes. Some are one piece and some are two piece. Peoples Pipes are two pieces with a coupler-like attachment that connects the stem and the bowl. The stem (or mouthpiece) of the pipe symbolizes the male and the bowl (which holds the tobacco) symbolizes the female. The coupler or place where they join together symbolizes unity of both male and female; and also symbolizes family. It is said that when a pipe is filled with tobacco it contains the whole universe; All that Is. Before the pipe ceremony people will go up to the Pipe holding a small pinch of tobacco that they have been holding in their left hand and while they are praying. If they do not have a tobacco pouch, there is usually a bowl of tobacco set out for them to use. The tobacco with prayers is then placed in either a bowl or on a cloth for the pipe carrier to fill the pipe and then smoked to send the prayers to the Creator. Each pipe carrier does ceremony as they have been instructed by Spirit. Some pray out loud; others pray silently; some do many turns of the pipe and others make very subtle movements. The Creator, the Grandmothers and Grandfathers of each Direction, the Winged-Ones, the Standing People, the Stone People, the Creepy-Crawlers, the Four-leggeds, Mother Earth, Father Sky, the Ones that Live in the Waters are all invited to be present as the pipe and prayers are smoked. Then after the pipe is passed and all the tobacco with prayers has been smoked, All Present are Thanked for their Presence. Only Peoples' Pipes are shared with other people. If one has a personal pipe that they use to pray with, and they share it with another person, they have 'adopted' that person into their family and have assumed responsibility for that person. Many people are impressed when they hear of a person carrying a Peoples' pipe. Often times the pipe carrier gets placed on a pedestal. People sometimes forget that the pipe carrier is human and that they are simply a means of transportation to get the pipe from one place to another. A pipe carriers' first and foremost job is to Listen to the Spirit within the pipe, and be a clear voice for that Spirit It is a great honor to carry a Peoples' Pipe, and as with all great honor, there comes great responsibility |
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