Sacred pipe: 

The pipe is a great sacred object for the Sioux nation. It is sacred because the smoke is their means of communication with the Great Spirit. It intervenes in all important tribal ceremonies. Smoke rises towards the Great Spirit carrying with it all the messages and prayers of the people. A symbol of unity and harmony, the pipe is used by numerous tribes throughout the United States and Canada. 

The stem of the pipe represents the body of man, the bowl, the soul and the cavity of the bowl, its heart. The material most used to create the bowl of the pipe is Catalinite or pipe stone, whereas alder wood is used to make the tube or stem of the pipe.  

Generally red willow bark and tobacco is used in the Sacred Pipe. The pipe is passed around starting with the person to the left of the person who lights the pipe in order to follow the path of the sun. When all have smoked the pipe, the stem is always pointed towards the tipi because it represents the universe. In Lakota language the pipe is known as Cannunpa Wakan and is considered the principal instrument for prayer for the North American natives.  

The pipe ceremony is a sacred ritual that brings man in direct contact with the Great Spirit through contemplation and with an interrelation with the smoke. In a sense, the Sacred Pipe ceremony represents peace, because it permits a pacific exchange between the different tribes. However it represents above all a harmony created by the balance with nature and the order of things that automatically becomes a manifestation of the Creator.  

The ceremony starts with the purifying of the pipe. A braid of sweet-grass, which is considered a sacred herb, is used. When lit, the smoke emits a purification power. The Sacred Pipe is decorated with 4 eagle feathers that symbolises the Great Spirit. Four other feathers are attached to the pipe to represent the four directions. The Lakota presently preserve the original Sacred Pipe, the one that the White Buffalo Woman gave them over 3000 years ago.  

The Sacred Pipe is found in Green Grass, South Dakota. One of the descendants of the first guardian of the pipe is Orval Looking Horse, who is presently the guardian of the Sacred Pipe.  

I had the opportunity and privilege in 1995, to pray with my pipe near the location of the Sacred Pipe. One can actually feel the energy generated from the original Sacred Pipe and from its location.