A Calumet is a ceremonial smoking pipe used by some Native American Nations. Traditionally it has been smoked to seal a covenant or treaty, or to offer prayers in a religious ceremony.
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“Calumet” is a Norman word, first recorded in David Ferrand‘s la Muse normande around 1625 – 1655[1]. Its first meaning was “sort of reeds used to make pipes”, with a suffix substitution for calumel.[2] It corresponds to the French word chalumeau ‘reeds’ (Modern French also ‘straw’, ‘blowlamp’).[3][4] Then, it was said by Norman-French settlers in Canada to describe the ceremonial pipes they saw in use among the First Nations people of the region.[5]
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Calumets and other Native American ceremonial pipes have often been given the misnomer, “peace pipe”; this is a European construct based on only one type of pipe and one way it was used. Various types of ceremonial pipes have been used by multiple Native American cultures, with the style of pipe, materials smoked, and ceremonies being unique to the distinct religions of those Nations. There were Calumets for everything from war and peace to commerce and trade to social and political decision-making.[7]
Symbols 101 