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African Pipes

 

Tobacco Pipes - Dagga Pipes

 

Pipes a Tabac Africaines - Afrikanische Pfeife  - Afrikanische Pfeifen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kuba Pipe

 

DRC - Congo - Zaire

 

 

Pfeifen, Hanf und Tabak in Schwarzafrika - Wolfgang Cremer – pg. 206 no. 150 - Bushoong

 

 

This old Kuba 'or related' pipe dates to the first half of the 20th century. It is a prestige pipe and most likely was the property of a chief. We say "related" as the bowls face shares the coiffure of the Ndengese (Dengese) and facial elements of Pende carvers.

 

Click  thumbs to view larger images.

 

The removable pipe bowl itself resembles palm wine cups carved by the Kuba and related peoples. Its decorated with 3 brass tacks, two on the ears and another at the rear of the coiffeur.

 

 

The most common Kuba pipes had no faces on their bowls. Those that did mostly faced away from the smoker. Our pipe only fits one way and that is facing the smoker.

 

             

                   Pfeifen, Hanf und Tabak in Schwarzafrika                    Rund Um Tabakspfeifen - Museum Für Völkerkunde - Berlin - Pg 59
              Wolfgang Cremer – pg 205 no 149 - King Pero

 

Above left, King Pero of the Lele smokes a more common faceless pipe. Above right, a related and rare Kuba pipe with a face that faces the smoker - Museum Für Völkerkunde - Berlin.

 

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Xhosa - Thembu - Pondo Pipes

 

Southern African Beaded Pipes

 

Circa 1940 - 1950

 

 


 

Ivy Albums - Lynn Accutt - Circa 1900 - Woman lighting beaded pipe from flint.

 

Hemp (Cannabis) was being smoked in southern Africa prior to van Riebeeck's 1652 arrival in the Cape. The Hottentots called it Dagga. It is assumed that hemp arrived in the region from Asia through Arab east coast trade. Tobacco was introduced to Africa from the Americas by the Portuguese between the 15th and 16th centuries. It became wide spread in the Transkei - Eastern Cape, by European penetration into their country. Hemp was suppressed while  tobacco and beads were highly traded. From contact and trade, variations of pipes emerged.

 

    

 

Duggan-Cronin - THE CISKEI AND SOUTHERN TRANSKEI TRIBES

 

During the early 20th century, a pipe in hand was as important to a native as clothing. Pipe fashion developed and changed as rapidly as beaded attire. The longest pipes were generally smoked by women -  the shorter by men.

 

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Xhosa Pipe

 

This is an exceptionally large - beaded Xhosa pipe called an ingawa, which dates to the 1950's. It has been suggested that long stem pipes were use to keep the smoke away from babies strung onto their mothers backs. It is certain that the longest pipes were first and foremost - prestige objects. 

 

 

Duggan-Cronin - THE CISKEI AND SOUTHERN TRANSKEI TRIBES

 

Pipes smoked by men were markedly shorter - but often more complicated.

 

Another

 

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Mpondo Pipe

 

This circa 1940 pipe combines elements of both Xhosa and Thembu, but the complicated bead color combinations make it more likely Pondo. Bowls of early collected examples were carved thin, often as thin as the inner tin or iron container. Such pipe skill or craftsmanship is unique to the Eastern Cape region of Southern Africa.

   

Another

 

Click  thumb to view larger images. 

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Thembu Pipe

 

This large female pipe sports beadwork of Thembu origin. All our pipes are custom mounted.

 

 

Uncle Van Vasco da Gama van Blommenstein's shop - Circa 1904 - 1905 - Mbisa Transkei

 

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Ovambo - Kwanyama Pipe

 

Angola / Namibia

 

 

 

Large pipes were smoked by headmen and chiefs.

 

Ovambo pipes are structurally similar to those of the Chokwe.

 

Click a thumb to view a more detailed image.

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Brass or copper wire worked over deep carved patterns is indicative of  a pipes Ovambo origin.

 

Ovambo call these pipes ombiga jomakaja.

 

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East African Water Pipe

 

19th Century Collected

 

 

 

Letzte Reise von David Livingstone in Centralafrika - 1872 - Vol ll - Page 53 - Zanzibar

 

Livingstone's servants Chuma and Susi are shown  smoking a water pipe made from bamboo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This early collected pipe has six poker worked Union Jack flag inter-dispersed with triangular forms.

 

The practice of cooling and cleansing the smoke of a tobacco pipe by drawing it through water was not followed in the Americas nor has it been very popular among Europeans. The Bushmen and Hottentots of southern Africa used the dagga (hemp, marijuana, cannabis) pipe, which cooled and mitigated the effects of smoke by drawing it through a horn of water. While Africa continued to produce more orthodox pipes of almost every possible material and size, the water pipe spread to India and the Far East.

 

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Kapsik Pipe - Cameroun

 

 

Click a thumb to view an image.

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This old - well used pipe was purchased at auction in the UK. It most likely dates to the 19th century.

 

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pipe collection, ciskei, transkei, hemp, dagga, ingawa, mfengu, pondo, thembu, xhosa, gaika, galeka