Native American Legends
The Legend of the Peace Pipes
An Arikara Legend
The people came across a great water on logs tied together. They
pitched their tents on the shore. Then they thought to make for
themselves certain bounds within which they were to live and rules
which should govern them. They cleared a space of grass and weeds
so they could see each other's faces. They sat down and there was
no obstruction between them.
While they were holding a council, an owl hooted in the trees near
by. The leader said, "That bird is to take part in our council.
He calls to us. He offers us his aid."
Immediately afterward they heard a woodpecker. He knocked against
the trees. The leader said, "That bird calls to us. He offers
us his aid. He will take part in our council."
Then the chief appointed a man as servant. He said, "Go into
the woods and get an ash sapling." The servant came back with
a sapling having a rough bark.
"We do not want that," said the leader. "Go again
and get a sapling with a smooth bark, bluish in color at the joint
where a branch comes." So the servant went out, and came back
with a sapling of the kind described.
When the leader took up the sapling, and eagle came and soared
about the council which was sitting in the grass. He dropped a downy
feather; it fell. It fell in the center of the cleared space. Now
this was the white eagle. The chief said, "This is not what
we want," so the white eagle passed on.
Then the bald eagle came swooping down, as though attacking its
prey. It balanced itself on its wings directly over the cleared
space. It uttered fierce cries, and dropped one of its downy feathers,
which stood on the ground as the other eagle’s feather had
done. The chief said, "This is not what we want." So the
bald eagle passed on.
Then came the spotted eagle, and soared over the council, and dropped
its feather as a the others had done. The chief said, "This
is not what we want," and the spotted eagle passed on.
Then the imperial eagle, the eagle with the fantail, came, and
soared over the people. It dropped a downy feather which stood upright
in the center of the cleared space. The chief said, "This is
what we want."
So the feathers of this eagle were used in making the peace pipes,
together with the feathers of the owl and woodpecker, and with other
things. These peace pipes were to be used in forming friendly relations
with other tribes.
When the peace pipes were made, seven other pipes were made for
keeping peace within the tribe. One pipe was to prevent revenge.
If one man should kill another, the chief took this pipe to the
relatives and offered it to them. If the relatives of the dead man
refused to accept it, it was offered again. It was offered four
times. If it was refused four times, the chief said, "Well,
you must take the consequences. We will do nothing, and you cannot
now ask to see the pipes." He meant if they took revenge and
any trouble came to them, they could not ask for help or for mercy.
Each band had its own pipe.
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