POLISHED STONE ARTICLES USED BV THE NEW YORK ABORIGINES 45 



smoked in and used to fire, when they become quite hard. They are 

 often a full span long, and the bowls are about half as large again 

 as those of our English pipes. The forepart of each commonly 

 runs out with a sharp peak, two or three fingers broad, and a quar- 

 ter of an inch thick. On both sides of the bowl they cut several 

 pictures, with a great deal of skill and labor.' 



In his early account of the Narragansetts, Wood says, ' From 

 hence other tribes have their great stone pipes, which will hold a 

 quarter of an ounce of tobacco, which they make with steel drills 

 and other instruments ; such is their ingenuity and dexterity that they 

 can imitate the English mold so accurately that were it not for 

 matter and color it were hard to distinguish them; they make these 

 of green, and sometimes of black stone.' 



Capt. John Smith described the stone pipes, apparently, of the 

 Sasquesahanocks, although they were of the Huron Iroquois family, 

 which then used mainly clay pipes. In describing one of these 

 gigantic men, he spoke of ' his tobacco pipe, three quarters of a 

 yard long, prettily carved with a bird or beare, a deare or some such 

 device at the great end, sufficient to beat out the brains of a man.' 



In 1756 Sir William Johnson presented a great calumet to the 

 Six Nations, and said, ' Take this pipe to your great council chamber 

 at Onondaga. Let it hang there in view, and should you be waver- 

 ing in your minds at any time, take and smoke out of it, and think 

 of my advice given with it, and you will recover and think properly.' 

 Gives the largest pipe in America, made on purpose. They re- 

 plied, ' We assure you we shall hang it up in our council chamber, 

 and make proper use of it upon all occasions.' This great pipe was 

 used at the conference with Pontiac at Oswego, in July, 1766. 

 Pontiac's pipe was lighted and handed around, and afterwards ' the 

 Onondaga speaker lighted a calumet of peace, which Sir William 

 left in their hands many years ago, for their use, and handed it about 

 to the western Indians.' This probably disappeared in the Revolu- 

 tionary war. 



In his account of the conference between De la Barre and the 

 Onondagas in 1684, La Hontan described the pipe of peace, and 

 perhaps had in mind the one then used. The council assembled, 



