Smoking pipes is an activity which has occurred in many different human cultures over the centuries, often enjoying a religious or sacred status. The pipe is a symbol which resonates throughout the world, be it a Native American calumet or the kind of briar wood tobacco pipes enjoyed prominently in public by the likes of American singer Bing Crosby.

A \’calumet\’ is the word used to describe the type of instrument used by some Native American and Canadian First Nations people, often for sacred or social purposes. A calumet was often used to seal a pact or negotiations of some kind.

The object itself may be Native American, but the word \’Calumet\’ is actually Norman-French in origin, and was taken to the New World by French settlers to Canada, who used it to describe the kind of pipe used by some indigenous tribes, especially those of the Great Plains region.

The term \’peace pipe\’ is actually a misnomer, as the calumet can be used in a wide variety of ways, depending on the beliefs and rituals of the tribe using it. There are many different designs, and the materials being smoked also vary, but the general belief is that the fumes from the pipes carry prayers to the spirit world.

The conventional, modern smoking pipe has a very different kind of perception in society. Often seen as a mark of eccentricity in the 21st Century, it has been enjoyed by a wide variety of famous people, both fictional and historical.

British Prime Minister Harold Wilson was rarely seen without a pipe, while his Labor Party colleague Tony Benn still puffs away on his increasingly rare public appearances. Indeed, the British Pipe smokers Council each year hands out a Pipe Smoker of the Year Award. Wilson won in 1965 and Benn in 1992.

Other celebrities who have picked up the award include comedian and intellectual Stephen Fry and boxer Henry Cooper. American celebrities often seen with a pipe in public included the singer Bing Crosby and the comedian Bob Hope, who often starred alongside Crosby in his movies. However, a lung condition forced Crosby to give up smoking his pipe in 1974, perhaps a lesson that all things are best enjoyed in moderation.

The majority of standard smoking pipes manufactured today are made from briar wood. Briar has a natural resistance to fire and absorbs moisture well. Other materials used in their manufacture over the years include clay, corncobs and even metal, though this latter is not especially common.

One particular type is made from calabash gourds, although this method is so labor-intensive that wood is more often used to mimic the calabash pipe\’s shape and size. Many actors who played the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes used a calabash pipe to add colour to their presentation of the character.

Although increasingly draconian anti-smoking laws are coming into force across the world which make enjoying a pipe in public an increasingly difficult pursuit. Nevertheless, even for non-smokers, the characteristic aroma of pipe tobacco is something to be savored.

Your local hemp culture store can offer a broad range of vaporizers on the web. A glass water pipes is ideal for smoking herbs such as peppermint.

Your local hemp culture store can offer a broad range of vaporizers on the web. A glass water pipes is ideal for smoking herbs such as peppermint. http://www.kustomkultureshop.com/Retail/Results.cfm?category=4&secondary=23&s=Vaporizers

Author Bio: Your local hemp culture store can offer a broad range of vaporizers on the web. A glass water pipes is ideal for smoking herbs such as peppermint.

Category: Recreation
Keywords: smoking,tobacco,recreation,leisure,society,pipes,herbs,hobbies,business,family,home,shopping