This pipestone pipe, extremely small yet quite refined, was excavated in 1986 during a highway salvage project undertaken by Kansas Historical Society archeologists and Kansas Anthropological Association volunteers. The pipe is made of Kansas pipestone and was not well cleaned as it was hoped that the material inside the pipe might be analyzed in the future. The soft fine grained material of pipestone enabled the pipe's maker to carve it into its 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. The Mem site, in Marion County, is a Great Bend aspect, ancestral Wichita village.