140 PIPE SCULPTURE. 
still maintained in their primeval integrity among the 
Indians of the North West. 
Of the mound-builders Foster says: 
“The mound-builders were well aware of the narcotic proper- . 
ties of tobacco, a plant which indigenous to America, and 
which since the discovery of the western continent has been 
domesticated in every region of the earth where the soil and 
climate are favorable to its cultivation. No habit at this day, 
it may be said, is more universal or more diflicult to eradi- 
cate than that of smoking. With the mound-builder tobacco 
was the greatest of luxuries; his solace in his hours of 
relaxations, and the choicest offering he could dedicate to the 
Great Spirit. Upon his pipe he lavished all the skill he 
possessed in the lapidary’s art. 
“From the red stone of the quarry 
With his hand he broke a fragment 
Moulded it into a pipe head 
Shaped and fashioned it with figures.” 
Many of these pipes are sculptured from the most obdurate 
stones and display great delicacy of workmanship. The 
features of animals are so truthfully cut that often there is no 
difficulty in their identification, and even the plumage of 
birds is delineated by curved or straight lines which show a 
close adherence to nature. The bowl and stem piece 
wrought from a single.block, are as accurately drilled as they 
could be at this day, by the lapidary’s art. Both the 
War pipe and Peace pipe are the most sacred and the most 
highly valued of all the various kinds. 
“The calumet, or pipe of peace, ornamented with the war 
eagles quill, isa sacred 
_ pipe, and never used on 
any other occasion than 
that of peace making, 
when the chief brings it 
into treaty, and unfold- 
PRLOR bike: ing the many bandages 
y ; which are carefully 
kept around it, has it ready to be mutually smoked by the 
chiefs, after the terms of the treaty are agreed upon, as the 
means of solemnizing it; which is done by passing the sacred 
stem to each chief, who draws one breath of smoke only 
