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Glite Dictionary
calumet

calumet

1 9.9
A decorated pipe that some Native American groups smoke in ceremonies to show peace
  • noun
  • /ˈkæl.jə.mɛt/
translation icon : calumet
  • Perhaps most significant, Illinois used the calumet and sacrificed other offerings as a link to manitous themselves.

Examples

  • The chief lit the calumet during the ceremony to honor their ancestors and promote goodwill.

  • If an Illinois warrior brought out a calumet of peace in the middle of battle, their enemies often stopped fighting.

    Academic text (2001)

  • But mostly, and most importantly, the Illinois sacrificed tobacco by smoking with the calumet, which, for the Illinois, was itself a manitou.

    Academic text (2001)

  • In many Native American cultures, the calumet symbolizes peace during tribal negotiations.

  • During the ritual, the participants passed the calumet to signify their unity and respect for one another.

Synonyms

peace pipe
vscalumet
  • Literature
3 6.8

A decorated pipe smoked in a special ceremony by some Native American groups to show peace or agreement

is used within ritual contexts as a formal ceremonial symbol
pipe of peace
vscalumet
  • US
9.0

A decorated smoking pipe used at special times to show peace or agreement

is mainly used in ritual settings as a formal symbolic object

Surface Forms

calumet singular
calumets plural

Etymology

Calumet comes from French calumet, originally a word for a 'little reed' or 'small pipe', and from Latin calamus meaning 'reed'. French explorers used that word for the Native American ceremonial pipe, so a calumet is literally a 'reed pipe' and became the name for the peace or ritual pipe.