The Pipe

[ChrisMis]

This pipe belonged to my grandfather & as a child I can recall it hanging on his bedroom wall next to his religious pictures.The story along with this pipe is my grandfather would load this cast iron tub up with all kinds of herbs,fill his pipe & it would SMOKE up the whole house,my grandfather lived with my aunt & her husband who is of another nationality would have fits when Grandpa would smoke his pipe..and go into deep prayer. Uncle swearing he was gonna burn the house down with it.As funny as it would appear to us Americanized grandchildren,I'm thinking this was a ritual tradition for grandpa as he never ever smoked cigarettes nor any other pipe..just this one.I'm unsure if he brought this pipe over to the US or he bought it in the US.I've never seen another pipe quite like this & it has finally been drug out of the basement & passed on to my brother.I welcome any insight

[Hannia]

You and your brother have a treasure.

That is a beautifully stylized, fruit wood, long-stemmed pipe called a lyulyka, which would have been traditionally smoked by a Zaporizhsky Cossack.

It was very likely handcrafted in the Carpathian Mtns. The most prized are the ones carved of walnut, which symbolize concentrated wisdom, and are signed by the artisan carver.

The word LYULYKA in Ukrainian is rooted in Turkish for LUILA, which means tobacco pipe.

[ChrisMis]

Thank you so much Hannia.We're just thrilled we have something of my grandfathers' I'm posting another picture of the pipe..I apologize for it being a larger picture but a smaller version doesn't show all the detail of the pipe.Again, thank you for your replay with the knowledge

[Hannia]

It is a beautiful piece of primitive folk art. Very unusual looking and masculine w/that ram's head bowl. Grandfather must have had a great sense of humor. It has that kind of appeal. Probably an antique (100 yrs+) by now??? Just be careful cleaning it. Dust it w/a soft cloth and do not use any waxy cleaners on it. You might even take it to a furniture maker or someone who knows wood and find out what the wood is. It could be pear, or if you are real lucky, it might be walnut. When you pass it on to the next guardian in the family, make sure to create some documentation for it, so they know just how special it is.

[ChrisMis]

I forwarded the info you posted over to my brother,just so thankful we have some sort of knowledge now about it.Grandpa had a wonderful sense of humor and a very humble man..but when I saw the ram like head..I thought yep that goes with his stubborness ,Thanks again Hannia!