THE PIPE OF PEACE
In his striking analysis of the symbolic man of the Osage tribe Francis La Flesche called attention to this triplicate relation as centrally symbolized by the ceremonial pipe. In the ritual devoted to this pipe upon the occasion of entering war, the pipe is offered by its tribal keeper to the men who represent the two great divisions of the tribe, the Sky-people and the Earth-people. In the chant the several parts of the pipe are spoken of as if they were the parts of the body of a man. This man, symbolized by the pipe, is for each warrior his own body, but he is also the tribe socially, which in its several parts is likewise thought of as a man, and as reflecting that world of sky and earth by which man is surrounded. The idea is probably quite akin to that which still impels nations to adopt some such anthropomorphic symbolism of their social life—in an Uncle Sam, a John Bull-just as in antiquity peoples deified their national existences in man-form gods or goddesses. When about to set forth upon a national venture, the Osage adds to such symbolism only his own form of ceremonial communion, that of the pipe and its smoking—American substitute for the sacrifice at the high altar of the Classical nations, or perhaps for the celebrant Mass of Christian nations. The words of the Osage chant, as abridged by La Flesche, are the vivid paraphrase of the symbol:
Behold, this pipe. Verily a man!
Within it I have placed my being.
Place within it your own being, also,
Then free shall you be from all that brings death.
Behold, the neck of the pipe!
Within it I have placed my own neck.
Place within it your neck, also,
Then free shall you be from all that brings death, O, Honga!
Behold, the mouth of the pipe!
Within it I have placed my own mouth.
Place within it your mouth, also,
Then free shall you be from all that brings death, O, Honga!
Behold, the right side of the pipe!
Within it I have placed the right side of my own body.
Place within it the right side of your own body, also,
Then free shall you be from all that brings death, O, Honga!
Behold, the spine of the pipe!
Within it I have placed my own spine.
Place within it your own spine, also,
Then free shall you be from all that brings death, O, Honga!
Behold, the left side of the pipe!
Within it I have placed the left side of my own body, O, Honga!
Place within it the left side of your own body,
Then shall you be free from all that brings death, O, Honga!
Behold, the hollow of the pipe!
Within it I have placed the hollow of my own body.
Place within it the hollow of your own body, also,
Then shall you be free from all that brings death, O, Honga!
Behold, the thong that holds together the bowl and the stem!
Within it I have placed my breathing-tube.
Place within it your own breathing-tube, also,
Then shall you be free from all that brings death, O, Honga!
When you turn from the rising sun to the setting sun to go against your enemies,
This pipe shall you use when you go forth to invoke aid from Wakonda,
Then shall your prayers be speedily granted, O, Honga!
Yea even before the sun shall o’er-top the walls of your dwelling,
Your prayers shall surely be granted, O, Honga!
This ritual prayer is clearly a half-magical spell, intended to ensure life-preservation to the men going into peril. In this sense it is individual. But it is also for the tribe, whose safety is likewise at stake, and which is personified in the Symbolic Man.
