An “earth pipe” is the most primitive and oldest way to smoke cannabis. It involves using the actual earth to smoke from. An “earth pipe” could also be a term used for a similar device made from materials found in nature, such as a hollowed-out piece of wood, bamboo, or even certain types of rocks and bones. But for this post we’ll be talking about smoking through actual dirt or clay. You don’t necessarily have to run out and try this, but if I was stranded in the wilderness with no piece… Best believe I’m doing this!
When you are looking for the history of humans consuming cannabis you eventually run into earth pipes. There’s an uncanny resemblance to these pipes found around the world. So many cultures have used these for hundreds and thousands of years. I think it evolved from putting the cannabis directly onto hot coals and inhaling the smoke. Ancient peoples such as the Assyrians, Scythians, and Thracians, all were known to inhale the smoke of cannabis placed on hot coals (see of post What is Hash?). Cannabis was often used as ceremonial incense back then. As they discovered the potency and benefits of the plant, they moved towards concentrating the smoke. Some civilizations advanced quickly with their methods of consuming cannabis while others did not. I want to keep on the topic of this super primitive pipe though so let’s look at how earth pipes can be discovered all over the world. They can be found in Africa, North America, the Middle East, and Central Asia.
An article from October 15, 1921, by a Louisiana newspaper, Le Meschacébé, an author in South Africa recounts the construction and use of an earth pipe to smoke cannabis, known locally as dagga:
“He scoops a hole out of the hard ground three to four inches deep by three inches wide. A foot or so away from this he scoops another hole, and he then bores a small channel underground from one to the other. There is thus a free air passage connecting the two little excavations.
He places some dried dagga leaves in the first hole, lights them and covers them over with moist clay. He pierces this clay with a sharpened piece of wood to allow a draught to go through.
Into the other hole he inserts a small hollow reed – this is the pipe stem – squeezes moist clay round it, and on his knees begins his smoke.”
This is a great description of how an earth pipe is used and an example of how little had evolved for them with their methods of smoking cannabis when this was written in 1921.
In 1894, while traveling in India, an archaeologist named Mr. Lovett had an intriguing encounter. He witnessed the locals of Kashmir constructing an earth pipe that bore a striking resemblance to those used by the South Africans. In awe of this discovery, he remarked that these pipes embodied a universal connection, stating, “pipes of which the whole world may be said to form a part…”
In the journal, ‘Illustrated Archaeologist’ published in September 1894, Lovett explains the ancient Kashmir earthen party pipe:
“Should there be a number of bearers together, and should they be especially sociable, they construct a large common pipe in the same manner, but in the form of a crater and cone, around which they all sit, each with a hollow reed inserted through the side of the ‘crater.’”
The construction of the earth pipes in clay shows how they must have transitioned to using hand pipes or chillums. Obviously as they smoked the clay would harden, which I’m sure gave them the idea of producing more portable versions of pipes.
Surprisingly, the Earth Pipe can also be discovered in North America, where native tribes employed it in ancient smoking ceremonies. In his book titled ‘Honoring the Medicine: The Essential Guide to Native American Healing,’ Ken Cohen recounts the extraordinary ‘Earth Pipe Ceremony,’ wherein participants lie on their bellies and insert their pipe stems into a shared pit filled with hot coals and tobacco, utilizing the earth itself as the pipe bowl. Although this doesn’t mention the smoking of cannabis specifically, I would find it hard to believe that they didn’t use this technique to experiment with cannabis as well since it was available to them.
The more I continued to read about this topic, the more I wanted to try it for myself. So, fuck it, here we go.
Let’s pretend were stranded out in the in the wilderness and you just broke my pipe… party foul. We have herb but no way to smoke it. Instead of carving something out of wood, or anything else time consuming, we just need to do the quick and dirty and try to get out of there (yes, I would take time to get stoned before attempting to be rescued).
These are the steps we take:
Materials:
- Cannabis
- A hollow reed, stick, or straw
- Digging tool or knife
- Dirt
- Source of fire
1. Grind the cannabis to ensure it burns evenly. Be careful not to over grind our Live Cured Flower because it breaks down fluffier than traditionally cured flower. A benefit of our Live Cured Flower is that you can break it down easily by hand without the need for a grinder. That’s great because you lost that too… unbelievable!
2. Dig a hole 3 inches down and about 3 inches wide.
3. Then, dig an identical hole about 12 inches away.
4. Using a small sharp stick or tool, poke a tunnel to connect the two holes underground.
5. Now that we have both openings constructed, let’s build the bowl. Shape one of the holes in a cone (you may have to add more clay). We’re trying to shape this into our bowl.
6. Take your hollow object (it’s going to be the straw from your water bottle because this is all your fault) and insert it into the other hole. We’re then going to take some slightly moist dirt or clay and make a seal around the straw.
7. Add a nice helping of cannabis to the bowl.
8. Viola! Everything is set up now, so let’s get ripped and bounce!
Hopefully, y’all learned something about the oldest method of smoking and maybe you’ll look at the ground a little different now. I wouldn’t recommend this becoming your go to method unless you’re a nomadic sheep herder or something, but I will say that this method definitely deserves a place in the history of humans consuming cannabis.
Stay safe and stay stoned!
