How The Cherokee Got Their Pipe

Everyone knows the story of how and why White Buffalo Calf Woman brought the pipe to the Lakotas. This is important knowledge if you are Lakota. But little is said about how the Cherokee got their pipe.If you are Cherokee it is important for you to know your own stories since it is our stories that teach us how to be Cherokee. This is our story.

Long ago there was a woman named Arrow Woman. She was an excellent hunter, as good as any man she was with a bow. One day while out hunting, Arrow Woman found a magic lake where the injured animals went to be healed. She sat down on the shore of this magical lake to rest and observe. A Great Uktena (Dragon) arose from the water. He told her that he had a gift for her. Then he dipped his head beneath the water and brought up a crooked stick and a leather pouch and laid them at her feet.

He explained to her that this was the Sacred Pipe of the Creator. "The bowl is made from the same red clay that He made your people from, and represents Woman. Just as a woman bears the children and brings forth life, so, too, the bowl of the pipe bears the sacred tobacco (tsola) and brings forth the smoke. The stem of the pipe represents Man, rigid and strong. It is a gift from the plant kingdom and like a man, it supports the bowl just as man supports his family." The Uktena then taught Arrow Woman how to join the bowl to the stem saying, "Just as a man and a woman remain separate until joined in marriage, so too are the bowl and stem separate, never to be joined unless the pipe is used."

He showed her how to place the sacred tobacco (tsola) into the pipe. Then he lit it with an ember from the fire. When the smoke rose from the pipe, he told her this, "The smoke is the breath of The Creator, When you draw the smoke into your body, you will be cleansed and made whole. When the smoke leaves your mouth, it will rise to The Creator. Your prayers, your dreams, your hopes and desires will be taken to Him in the smoke. Also the truth in your soul will be shown to Him when you smoke the pipe. If you are not true, do not smoke the pipe. If your spirit is bad and you seek to deceive, do not smoke the pipe." And he taught her the sacred PRAYERS that should be said when using the pipe.

Arrow Woman took the pipe back to her village. The People were honored to be given such a wonderful gift from Creator. A strange thing begin to happen to the People when the Pipe came into their lives. In the past, Cherokee men were quick to go to war. This meant that our women were always mourning lost husbands, sons and fathers. But now the Sacred Pipe was always consulted before any major decisions were made. By the time the pipe ceremony was completed and the prayers were sent skyward on the sacred smoke, the urge to fight had often left.

If you are Cherokee and use or "carry" a ceremonial pipe, make very sure you know the correct prayers and ceremonies. There should be no mixing of traditions. I see lots of "Lakotakees" and Rainbow pipe carriers out there. This is a very dangerous thing to do and will eventually result in severe consequences to those who make up their own rules.

This is how it was told to me. A long, long time ago.