hc/pc pipes

[Many Klatch]

Tenngun - It is surprising how fast items got to the backwoods from Europe. When I was a volunteer at Conner Prairie Museum, I learned that in 1836 the newest Paris fashions and fabrics could be bought in Indiana about 6 months after they were introduced in Europe. If you are in Missouri, you aren't that far upriver from New Orleans.

I can pretty much guarantee that anything invented in 1828 would have been available in your area by at least 1830. You didn't have to wait for the South to Fire the First Shot for your tobacco to show up.

Many Klatch

 

[Rod Lassey]

"Indians cultivated tobacco for smoking and had pipes of wood and crude clay pipes prior to European contact..., they also cultivated maize, so..., were concobs used for tobacco smoking prior to the end of the fur trade..., we cannot say they were."

They also made startlingly elaborate stone pipes, notably out of Catlinite (red) or steatite (black) and sometimes soapstone. Any easily worked stone, for that matter. While we may think of think of "peace pipes" with the looong stems when we think of native pipes, those were largely for ceremonial use. For personal use, small 'elbow' style, or 'keel' style pipes were in common use.
http://contemporarymakers.blogspot.com/2013/01/wabanaki-style-keel-pipe-by-ken-hamilton.html
http://www.thepipemaker.com/gh/Pho...viceName=Pipes_Elbow+auto=0+RPIC=+wa=+return=

While plug, twist, or rope tobacco was pretty strong stuff, the Indians commonly mixed it heavily with various plants, barks, and herbs. Around here [North Dakota], the mixtures usually used plenty of red willow bark. The red willow, or more properly, red osier dogwood, tends to have a mild smoke, and considerably tames the harsh tobacco. Sumac, bearberry, etc. were some other additives.

Rod

 

[Stumpkiller]

I dont know if he is still about, but I used to get La Merde du Boeuf Sauvage Tabac from a former member here. Kind of a kinni-kinnic blend of tobacco, bearberry sasafrass & dogwood bark and a few other ingredients.

It was great stuff.

 

[LaBonte]

They also made startlingly elaborate stone pipes, notably out of Catlinite (red) or steatite (black) and sometimes soapstone. Rod

Just a quick FYI - Soapstone is steatite - black is just one color it comes in and that often depends on where the stone came from, it' soft due to the fact it is mostly talc...

 

[Rod Lassey]

Thanks, Chuck, that's something I didn't know--I'm no geologist, that's obvious. I come across soapstone around here once in a while, it's the white chalky stuff----but around here, it's all glacial erratics from somewhere else.

Rod

 

[Rod Lassey]

While we're at it, what's the green stone that pipes are sometimes made of? Around here, there's a "rural myth" that I've heard that the green pipes were for peace, the red Catlinite ones for war. I doubt there's any truth in that at all, but it's a persistent tale.

Rod

 

[LaBonte]

Rod - the green stuff is also soap stone - I used to a bunch of carving on soapstone and I've seen it every where from the chalky white to black, with greens and blues in between. Basically if you can cut it with a knife or a file it will work and most likely be soapstone - the softer stuff in particular will have a sort of slick soapy feel to it - thus the moniker soap stone.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Rod L,

Sorry, I wasn't referring to what they smoked back then..., :haha: ..., I was pointing out that the tobacco sold in twists or braids today that one finds, is very harsh stuff (actually I thinks it's supposed to be chewed.)

Supposedly the flake-tobaccos are done the same way for a long time, centuries, but that's probably propaganda from the makers.

LD

 

[tenngun]

Some flake was packed tight in a barrel lightly wet with rum layer by layer packed as tight as it could then some.My black navy flake has a light rum flavor but is mostly latikia, stays fresher longer on a trek or in camp,always in a humidor at home :wink:

 

[razorbritches]

as kids we would sometimes sneak off and make a pipe from a pecan with a reed stem to smoke rabbit tobacco