You all know that it was impossible for me to make this herb, and that it is a gift from the Creator because I did not plant it. We all believe what is given to us in our dreams, and this was given to me in a dream. I dreamed that something was going to grow where I had burned and cleared the earth for a garden, so I fenced it off as though something sacred was there.
That was to keep the women away from it, because you know they usually tend the gardens. I fasted for another vision to know how to use this plant and then the Great Spirit appeared and told me how to use this herb in sacrifices, and to place it in the fire and smoke it. I give this feast in honor of the new blessing that is to be with us now for all our lives.
The chief now stood upon his feet and thanked the old man for being so faithful to his dreams. He said, "My people, always think of this man, Wakusha the Fox of the Fox clan, who got this for us. Now, I will burn the tobacco, and we will all pray for him. He brought it here, and he will divide it among you all. I want you all to take it and use it when you are hunting.
Put it in the fire and tell Our Grandfather the fire where you are going, and for how long. Never leave without telling Our Grandfather these things, and pray to the Great Spirit. The assembled people all rejoiced and thanked the old man Fox. Everyone had heard that the Delaware had such a sacred herb, but no one knew what it was until it was given to Fox to pass it on to all Indians. Fox rose once more and said that he would distribute the seeds to everyone, and they were to plant it far off where the women would not come.
They were also to set up a pole with leaves left at the top in the middle of the tobacco patch as a sign and a warning to the women to keep away from it. Cedar leaves were burned and food was blessed by the chief, and all ate the feast thanking the Great Spirit that tobacco had come to them.
When they had finished, a man stood up and said that he thanked the Great Spirit, and each person went over and squatted by the fire and burned tobacco and prayed to the Great Spirit. When this was over, they all thanked Fox again and rejoiced over the coming of the tobacco. Then Fox took his tobacco bag and filled and lighted his stone pipe and said, "This stone pipe I copied from that used by our Grandfather, the Delaware.
I have mixed the tobacco with dried sumac leaves, just as he does. From that time on, the Indians smoked as part of their prayers. When Whites came, they took up smoking tobacco, but never used it as part of their prayers, which is definitely not what it was intended for when it was given to the Indian people by the Great Spirit.
Ceremonial Use of Tobacco. In Woodland Indian rituals, ceremonies, and religious observances, tobacco is the unifying thread of communication between humans and the spiritual powers. Importance of Tobacco Before all religious ceremonies, tobacco was offered to the spirits. Smoking Mixtures Smoking a pipe as part of a ceremony or spiritual offering seems to have been about as common as smoking it for personal satisfaction.
Preparation of Kinnickinnic To prepare Kinnickinnic, a man cut red osier dogwood stems and carried them back home where he scraped off the outer bark with a pocket knife. Potawatomi Story Long ago, when the Potawatomi still lived on the ocean in the east and close to their grandfathers the Delaware, an old man had a dream that something extraordinary would grow in his garden which was in a clearing he had made nearby.
Bluestone is hard quartzite that is greenish blue. Found in the Appalachian Mountains, it was used for the bowl of a pipe by the Cherokee, Creek, and Chickasaw as well. Another form of catlinite called blue pipestone is used in some Native American peace pipes.
This type of stone can be found in South Dakota. The Plains tribes also use black pipestone while the Shoshone and Ute sometimes use green pipestone. The Uncompahgre Ute of central Colorado mine salmon alabaster to make their peace pipe bowls. The Plains Indians often carried the Native American peace pipes in a bag called a pipe bundle. This bundle was decorated on the outside and also was used to carry the tobacco that would be used in the pipe. The Native Americans considered tobacco to be a sacred and powerful plant.
If help was needed from the spirit world, sometimes tobacco would be offered in return for help. It was believed that the smoke from the Native American peace pipe carried prayers up to the heavens. Setting up and maintaining the information behind this site is a huge undertaking, and any contribution that you can make to cover expenses would be most gratefully accepted.
Happy Trails, Jim Thayer. Forest Hiker. Skip to content. Hindu gems hidden in the hills above Scappoose. What the Indians really smoked in their peace pipes.
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