pwaagan, pipe bowl

pwaagan, pipe bowl

pwaagan, pipe bowl

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Introduction

This Anishinaabe relative is a pwaagan (pipe) bowl made from black steatite with a short pointed prow and lead inlay around bowl and shank. Although the precise origins of this relative are uncertain, it was likely made in the nineteenth century. It was purchased from a collector on October 4, 1913 by Charles H. Stephens. After his death, Stephens' collection was left to his son D. Owen Stephens, whose wife, Mrs. Owen Stephens, sold it to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in 1945 where it currently resides. 


 

Name of Maker(s): Maker unrecorded
Nation of Maker: Anishinaabe Ojibwe
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular nation(s)

The collector listed it as being Ojibwe on the catalogue card.

Date Made or Date Range: 1800s to 1890s
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

The information in this record is based on documentation from the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

Materials

black steatite; lead

Techniques or Format

A small black stone pipe bowl with a slightly flared cylindrical bowl, short pointed prow, and rectangular sectioned shank. There is lead inlay on the top of the bowl and at the end of the shank.

Motifs and Patterns

The inlay on the bowl is comprised of eight triangles. The stem shank inlay is in the form of horns on top the surface and triangles to two adjacent sides.

Dimensions: 10 × 6.5 × 0 cm
Condition: good
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

This is a 19th century type of pipe.

Current Location: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 45-15-1399
Link to Institution's Collections Database: https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/174401
Collection at Current Location: Charles H. Stephens Collection
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1945
Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: Purchase from Mrs. Owen Stephens, 1945
Date Relative was First Removed or Collected from its Community Context: Before 1913
Collection Narratives and Histories

According to the catalogue card, this relative was purchased from a collector on October 4, 1913 by Charles H. Stephens. After his death, Stephens' collection was left to his son D. Owen Stephens, whose wife, Mrs. Owen Stephens, sold it to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in 1945 where it currently resides.

Source for Provenance information

University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

GKS Reference Number: 24941
How to Cite this Item

Maker, Name unrecorded. Pwaagan, pipe bowl. GRASAC ID 24941. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 45-15-1399.

Record Creation Context

This information was gathered during a research visit to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
This record was augmented by Joy Kruse on February 8, 2025.

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