Tiffany Studios New York "Indian" Smoker's Companion

The association between American Indians and tobacco spans centuries, as Indigenous peoples introduced tobacco to Europeans. Among many American Indian tribes, sacred tobacco (Nicotiana rustica) has played a vital role in healing and prayer for thousands of years. In the nineteenth century, the Native American peace pipe, or calumet, became a powerful symbol of peaceful intentions, particularly among the Plains Indians. The 1870s brought Plains Indians into the American consciousness due to their fierce resistance to colonization and assimilation. Leaders such as Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, and Red Cloud became icons of resilience and defiance against U.S. expansion. During the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Tiffany & Co. produced a series of silver pieces inspired by Native American themes, drawing from the paintings of George Catlin. Catlin (1796–1872), an American painter, author, and traveler, devoted his life to documenting Native American culture. After witnessing an American Indian delegation in Philadelphia in 1824, he set out to portray Native Americans in their "unadulterated, natural state" and record their customs. Central to Lakota spiritual and cultural life is the sacred pipe, deeply embedded in rituals of moral preparation and spiritual reflection. These ceremonies are inseparable from the broader Lakota traditions, underscoring their significance beyond mere symbolism.