Catlinite Pipe Bowl, Reed Stem, Flint, Striker, Hide bag Assemblage
Taos Pueblo
Catlinite, Hide, Steel, Flint | Item 2386
This is a historical assemblage of a smoking kit all in an early hide bag. The catlinite pipe bowl has delicate carvings on the front and sides. It’s pipe stem is a reed and likely a more recent addition. The hide bag has a metal chain attached to it linked to a piece of flint (pump drilled) and a striker beautifully formed from an old file. The crotch of the flint would strike the striker creating sparks to fall onto flammable material. All these elements fit into the bag with the stem sticking out about 1 1/2 inches. This came out of the Taos Pueblo in the 1960s. While it could well have belonged to a Taos Pueblo member, the assemblage seems also to be of the frontier era, possibly dating to the mid 19th century.