A primitive elbow pipe

June 2010

In addition to artificial tobacco pipes with a special design or artistic carving, there is smoking equipment that is rough or simple. This pipe is a great example of the latter. A simple earthenware pipe bowl is attached to a wide bamboo stem with a piece of leather. So, a large, robust pipe has been obtained with a silhouette similar to the early elbow pipes, but then much more explicit. The only decoration on the pipe is a band braided with plant fiber that is attached to the mouthpiece. This properly braided band prevents the splitting of the bamboo. The mouthpiece with a large diameter was intended to hold against the lips, unlike that of the European pipes where the mouthpiece is placed between the teeth. This tobacco pipe is not a product of great beauty, but it is a functional smoking implement that originated in an African culture in which showing off was not important.

Amsterdam Pipe Museum APM 20.217

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