Darrel Mortimer and his Biggest Tattooed Chillum, San Francisco 2009

A chillum, or chilam, is a straight conical

smoking pipe A smoking pipe is used to inhale the smoke of a burning substance; most common is a tobacco pipe, which can also accommodate almost any other substance. Pipes are commonly made from briar, heather, corn, meerschaum, clay, cherry, glass, porcela ...

traditionally made of clay or a soft stone (Steatite or Catlinite). Examples of chillum were found in Pre-Columbian America, and it would evolve eventually into what we now know as the "elbow-pipe". It was used popularly in India in the eighteenth century. A small stone is often used as a stopper in the stem. The style of pipe spread to Africa, and has been known in the Americas since the 1960s. A chillum pipe is used in Rastafari rituals.

Chillum stone

When smoking a chillum a chillum stone is often inserted in the pipe to keep from directly inhaling debris much like a screen or filter is used in other pipes. They are generally tight-fitting, conical with a flat top and usually have a small hole drilled down through the centre and slits down the sides to allow smoke to pass freely. Before they were commercially available people would search for the right size of pebble or stone to fit their pipes, a practice still followed by some. According to Alfred Dunhill, Africans have long employed chillum-style pipes for smoking

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...

and later tobacco. Gourds and various horns were often employed while conical bowls were common in

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. One of the more famous pipes is an ivory cone pipe once belonging to Buganda monarch King Mtesa. More recently, it has also seen use in sacraments by Rastafari. Since the 1960s the embellished bamboo chillum has become an American folk art form. These pipes are handmade and often sold by artists on street corners in places like the

Haight-Ashbury Haight-Ashbury () is a district of San Francisco, California, named for the intersection of Haight and Ashbury streets. It is also called The Haight and The Upper Haight. The neighborhood is known as one of the main centers of the counterculture ...

district of San Francisco and the

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area of New York City. The designs on these contemporary smoking pipes recall traditional decorated bamboo pipes from Borneo, however, the American carved bamboo design often employs a brass lighting fixture for a bowl. Since the 1970s, street artist Darrel "Pipeman" Mortimer of San Francisco has made nearly 10,000 such pipes, each signed, numbered, and sold personally.Austin, Buck: "Darrel Mortimer", Alarm Magazine, Chicago, summer 2004

Rastafari ceremony

In "reasoning sessions" and grounations, the ritual chillum used is made of a cow's horn or conical wood piece, fitted with a long drawtube giving the smoke time to cool before inhalation.

Water chillum

bong A bong (also known as a water pipe) is a filtration device generally used for smoking cannabis, tobacco, or other herbal substances. In the bong shown in the photo, the gas flows from the lower port on the left to the upper port on the right. ...

-like chillum equipped with a water filtration chamber is sometimes referred to as a

chalice A chalice (from Latin 'mug', borrowed from Ancient Greek () 'cup') or goblet is a footed cup intended to hold a drink. In religious practice, a chalice is often used for drinking during a ceremony or may carry a certain symbolic meaning. R ...

, based on a quote from the Biblical book of Deuteronomy. Thanks and praises are offered to Jah before smoking the chillum.The Rastafarians by Leonard E. Barrett 1988
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chillum (Pipe) Indian culture Cannabis smoking Cannabis in India Cannabis and religion Drug paraphernalia Pipe smoking Tobacco in India Desi culture

Chillum stone

Rastafari ceremony

Water chillum

See also

References