smoking-pipe
- Museum number
- Am,S.265
- Description
-
Zoomorphic, effigy smoking pipe carved, from light coloured pipestone, into the form of an aquatic mammal carrying a fish in its mouth. Substantially re-fabricated from excavated fragments, only the head and fore limbs remain from the original pipe. Facial features are detailed with light incisions.
- Production date
- 200BC-400
- Dimensions
-
Height: 4.30 centimetres
-
Length: 9 centimetres
-
Width: 3.50 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- A small diamond shaped label reads: "673"
Davis in the inventory describes the effigy as "pipe comp(osite) S(and) stone manitou with fish in the mouth. Naturalists represent this animal as herbivorous but the Mound builders were doubtless close observers of its habits". Davis is referring to the manatee or sea cow (he also refers to it as a lamantin). These are herbivorous, as he mentions, and have broad flat tail fins rather the the long thin ones depicted in other effigy pipes also said to represent manitous (S.264 & S263). Therefore it is unlikely to be the species represented here. Stevens in Flint Chips accepts this identification.
- Location
- On display (G26/dc17)
- Acquisition date
- 1931
- Department
- Africa, Oceania and the Americas
- Registration number
- Am,S.265
- Additional IDs
-
CDMS number: Am1931E1.265 (old CDMS no.)
-
Miscellaneous number: 673 (Squier and Davis Original Collection Number)