One day, two young men were hunting wild game for their village. There were not many large game in the region and the people were hungry. While wading through snowdrifts among the trees, they were startled to see a beautiful young woman standing before them. She was dressed in pretty robes, and in her hand she held a small bundle. The young men could not think of anything to say, so they just stood and looked at her.

"Do not fear," said the woman, "I bring you peace and happiness. Now tell me, why are you so far from your village?"

Her grace and beauty so fired the older brave with love that he could not speak. Finally, the younger man spoke.

"Our village is in need of more food," he said. "We are hunting."

"Here," she said, "take this bundle back to your people. Tell the Chiefs of the seven campfires to meet in the council lodge and wait for me."

The two men still could think of nothing to say. The older brave, blinded by love for the beautiful woman, reached out to touch her. As he did so, she touched him lightly on the head and he fell to the ground. A cloud enveloped his body, and all that was left of him was a pile of white bones. Then, as suddenly as she appeared, she disappeared.

The younger brave realized that his companion had "evil thoughts" about the woman, and that's why he was punished. He then hurried back to the village to tell the Chiefs. The next day the seven Chiefs put on their best feathers and robes and sat in a circle, all looking down at the bundle which had not been opened.

A sudden blow of wind passed. When it had gone the Chiefs saw before them a beautiful woman dressed in pretty robes. None of them could find words in their mouths. So she spoke to them:

"I bring you a message of peace. Your people are great hunters and brave warriors. When the sun rises again, pack your belongings and travel toward the setting sun. There a great land awaits you. You will find beyond the Father of Waters new animals and other tribes of people. In this bundle is a pipe to bring you peace with all the people."

The woman took out a pipe made from bone and decorated with bird feathers. Then she left the lodge and disappeared.

Soon the tribes moved westward. They came to the Mississippi River which was called the Father of Waters, and then to the Missouri River and the Black Hills. They saw for the first time the animals we call horses, and there were great herds of buffalo.

To make peace with the other tribes, the Sioux chieftains brought out their peace pipe. The pipe was usually handed to the Chief of the enemy tribe first and then it was smoked by all the leaders of both tribes. Later, when the white men came to the Sioux country, the Indians brought out their pipe of peace to smoke, but the white men would not smoke it.

A great amount of soft red stone was found for making pipes and every year all the Sioux tribes would send some of their people to the pipestone quarries to smoke the pipe of peace with other tribes. This place came to be known as Pipestone, the name which it carries to this day as a town and Indian school in Minnesota.

A Sioux once said, "the pipe is us. the stem is our backbone, the bowl our head, the stone our blood, red as our skin."

Pipes are among the most sacred objects to the Lakota being used in ceremonies. the more decorated the pipe -- the stronger its powers.