These three elbow pipes were recovered from the Sharps Creek site, a Great Bend aspect (ancestral Wichita) village site in McPherson County, and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 1993. The two pipes on the left were broken after use as is evidenced by the dottle (tobacco residue) traces left on the interior of the pipes. The soft fine grained material of pipestone enabled the pipe's maker to carve them into their elbow-like shape. Pipes were used during trade negotiations and to mark special occasions. In Kansas, these pipes are generally made by American Indians between 1650 to 1850.
Kansas Memory
Kansas Historical Society
Pipestone Elbow Pipes from the Sharps Creek Site, 14MP408 - 1