The image of a bull elk with his outstretched neck and antlers low on his shoulders is carved in
shallow relief on the underside of this elbow-shaped pipe bowl. In
Lakota
culture, elk are often
associated with relationships between men and women and marriage. A stem would have been connected
to this bowl for smoking. When the stem was connected to the bowl, the pipe represented the universe.
When not being used the pipe and stem were always separated. |