The Honor of Being Pipe Carrier

Winner of the Masters of the American West Thomas Moran Memorial Award for Artistic Merit (2016) To carry a pipe among members of a war party was considered a great honor. These pipes were called black-covered war pipes or black-covered medicine pipes, and were carried by members of all Northern Plains tribes. The pipe itself was encased in a cover made from trade cloth or a trade blanket, and sometimes had an eagle feather attached at each end. This warrior has removed the pipe case from his shoulder and is telling his enemies that he is a formidable foe.