The Sacred Peace Pipe

"This we Know:
The Earth does not belong to man,
Man belongs to the Earth.
All things are connected like the blood that unites one family.
Man did not weave the web of life; he merely is a strand in it.
Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.
------ Chief Seattle, 1852

This blog is dedicated to exploring the archetype of peace through the symbols and images of cultures and how they may be used to promote peace consciousness in everyday life.

The Peace Pipe (calumet, chanupa, C'anupa) is one the best known Native American symbols. The Lakota name chanupa means 'reed' (calumet means reed in French). It is used in Native ceremonies as a blessing and an offering. The phrase 'peace pipe' originates with western settlers who observed its use during peace negotiations. Pipes were traditionally smoked during the signing of peace treaties because, according to native traditions, the pipe can only be touched with a peaceful heart and when the smoker is "in a place of peace receptivity and kindness,"

The sacred pipe and ceremony are at the heart of native people's culture, as they travel the Red Road, the native road of balance in a good way, the living breath of the Great Spirit Mystery, and the way of the Helpers, the way of love and freedom, here on the back of our Earth Mother. The smoke coming from the mouth symbolizes the truth being spoken, and the plumes of smoke provide a path for prayers to reach the Great Spirit, and for the Great Spirit to travel down to Mother Earth.