Nice! Hupa - Yurok Steatite and Wood Composite Pipe. 5 1/2" L. pipe bowl is Steatite.

Nice! Hupa-Yurok Steatite and Wood Composite Pipe from Northwest California. 5 1/2" L. The pipe stem is made of hardwood likely Yew or Syringa. The pipe bowl is made from Steatite and is inset into the wood stem with pitch or native glue. According to A.L. Kroeber in Handbook of California Indians these composite pipes were in use in pre-contact times. For examples see Indian and Eskimo Artifacts of North America by Charles Miles 1963 pg 217 plate 1113. From the Thomas Hannah Collection California.