Osiyo (hello). Welcome!! My name is Glenn and I will attempt to tell you of what I do and why here at our store; PipeDreams. I am of Cherokee & Scottish descent. Originally from the lands of the ancestors--the Great Smokey Mts. of what is now the U.S. southeast, we moved north two generations ago when I was a young man. Myself and much of my extended family came north in the 1950s. The family was drawn to the employment opportunities offered by the auto and steel industries of the great lakes region. My heart however, remained with the mountains and streams of the south all these years. I return each year (multiple times usually) to visit family, and also friends who share the same philosophies. My wife of 34 years and I plan to return permanently soon. My four sons are all raised and have their own families now and have given me wonderful grandchildren whom I love dearly. We will return often to visit. But in this economy as we all well know, it is tough to sell a home for a fair selling price, so we are a few years away from our move it seems. In the meantime, I will continue to craft spirit pipes of catlinite (the blood of the ancestors of the plains Nations), and the steatites (usually the black pipestone of my own ancestors).

     My reasons for crafting these medicine pipes (or spirit pipes, or the people's pipes--all interchangeable terms) is simple:  I believe in the philosophies of the old ones. That is, the indigenous peoples found throughout the four corners of the world. Most see the entire universe as a series of inter-related circles, each inter-dependent on the other. I do believe we are all connected and that all objects are alive just as we are alive. All life exists in an intricate system of inter-dependence which will hopefully offer the balnce and harmony necessary for life to go on. Unfortunately, or perhaps inevitably, the last 500 years or so has produced the worst in man. Global colonization and the exploitation of lands and peoples has led to earth Mother becoming ill. Man's eagerness to exploit non-renewable resources and to pollute the waters and the very air we breath, have brought us to the brink of great change. I encourage all peoples to educate themselves about global warming and it's causes and effects. Even the political and financial leaders of our own oil-based economy must admit it's reality now. I pray for a return to the philosophies of the ancestors where all things are considered alive--and one as important as the next. In this philosophy, to pollute earth Mother would be unthinkable. It is inevitable that this change will come to pass. The alternative is a planet no longer capable of supporting the life-system fit for man's continuation. The old ones said we are to look to elohino (earth Mother) and to the faces of the 7th generation to come. We are to take responsiblility for providing a safe & healthy place for them. We are all given this life at no cost to ourselves. We were given a face before our parents were born. Not one of us did anything to deserve this life we were given. Do we not have a responsibility to contribute in positive manner to the great circle (or medicine wheel)? As Chief Seattle once proclaimed:  "Man did not weave this web. He is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web he does to himself." This message has reverberated around the globe since recorded history by many different authors. It is as true today as it was then. Red philosophy is a constant necessity for life itself.

     For all these reasons, I craft the medicine pipe. Neither I nor any pipemakers I know will ever get rich crafting and selling spirit pipes. It is a spiritual matter. There are yet many peoples who use the pipe for communion with Creator. I honor them. Still others are vendors or shop keepers. I honor them as well because I know these brothers and sisters will get the pipes out to the people. For me, it does not matter how my pieces get to the people. For I believe that each medicine pipe will bring positive influence & right spirit. The pipe causes a positive ripple along the web which is infectious. This is my desire. This is why I craft grandfather stone. There are those who say the pipe ceremony is dead and that all I am crafting is rocks with holes in them--or that my pipes are not living pipes. They are very entitled to their views. But since I believe that perception is reality, I do not agree. I present each piece as "never smoked, never blessed." They are vehicles of communication waiting to come alive in ceremonial fashion. But always, they are alive to me. 

     Well, there it is as best as I can tell you. Some will call me caveman. I have heard a whole lot worse. But what I say is my reality. What I have related is who I am, what I do, and why I do it. When you deal with me, you will always be treated as my relative because I believe that you are. Those who have dealt with me in the past know this to be true. This is my responsiblity to the medicine wheel. My prayer is that all peoples connect with Creator's positive spirit which lies within us and within the great circle. In Cherokee tradition, there are 7 sacred directions. First there are the 4 cardianl directions. Next is the sky spirits of gulanlate. Then there is the 6th direction which is down--to elohino, to earth Mother. Finally, there is the 7th direction, which is the sacred center where the eternal flame burns and which is the center of our beings (our hearts). This is where the spirit of all beings are united. It is the place of connection for us to the medicine wheel. These are my beliefs. And it is good. wado (thank you)