Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Human Effigy Pipe
Not on view
Dating back more than two thousand years, the famous Adena pipe is the oldest object in the exhibition, and it was recently named Ohio’s official state artifact. Like other ancient Woodlands forms, the pipe endured over many centuries and became a central part of Plains culture. Sacred tobacco was a feature of all historical Plains ceremonies, and smoking was equated with prayer.
This pipe, used to smoke tobacco, is also a carving, perhaps of a mythical hero or honored ancestor. He is dressed in ceremonial regalia, including a feather bustle at the back—the same form found on male powwow dancers today.
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