Pictured is a rare Lakota bundle using a tanned mink as holder for an ancient type of elk leg pipe. Lakota elders long ago spoke of an early pipe held upright to smoke, made from an elk leg bone wrapped with sinew. Pictured is such a pipe and its beaded buckskin pouch displaying a dragonfly effigy.

The mink hide has its head folded back, tied to a brass concho with two brass bells. The back legs are wrapped with beads. There is minor damage to the mink’s fur, caused by wool moths.

An elk leg was drilled at both ends and a wooden plug added for a mouthpiece. Its wide top was where tobacco was inserted. The tobacco used was the inner bark of red willow, mixed with powder from a dried buffalo chip to keep it burning. A heavy wrap of buffalo sinew kept the bone splitting from the heat. Such a pipe was somewhat awkward to use as it was held upright to be smoked. This pipe shows heavy use, indicated by black soot at the bone’s top.

The small, elongated pouch with a beaded dragonfly on its top housed the pipe, placed in the tail end of the mink. The dragonfly was often used on medicine objects because this insect darts about while flying in a zig-zag manner. When the dragonfly was a person’s medicine, it was believed the darting motion of the insect offered protection enabling a warrior to dodge arrows fired at a person.