Snuff Containers

Inhaling tobacco, known as “the taking of snuff,” is a formal part of major African feasts, and is enjoyed by both the living and the spirits of the dead. Tobacco is linked with the power of the ancestors, and is also closely associated with fertility, growth and change. Snuff containers serve as a symbol of status as well as important objects of personal adornment. Snuff containers have been worn in the form of earplugs, beaded and suspended from necklaces, belts and bandoliers, worn as ornamentation in the hair, and incorporated as decoration into walking sticks.

Pipes

The earliest tobacco pipes known for use in Southeast Africa were simple cylindrical forms made of bone and stone. From these original stone shapes, tobacco pipes evolved into more and more elaborate forms, and by the early twentieth century a wide variety of carved and decorated wooden pipes could be found throughout Southeast Africa, particularly among the Xhosa in the Eastern Cape. Proper etiquette surrounding tobacco smoking included that a lit pipe had to be shared with all members of the community present, and each individual always carried their own removable mouthpiece.