Jeff
Savage lives on the Fond du Lac Reservation in Minnesota. He is a a
reknown sculptor able to blend the rich tradition of Chippewa art with
his twentieth century outlook. He is best known for traditional pipes and
figurines. He also carves large pieces for courtyards, atriams, fountains
etc. by special arrangement.
Traditional Pipes
The bowls of these finely crafted pipes are made from genuine pipestone
that Jeff quarries and processed by hand before sculpting them with his
beautiful Chippewa designs.
These three magnificent pipes are between 28 and 32 inches long. The
bowls are carved from pipestone and the stems carved from sumac ant other
native woods. The pipes are based on ancient traditional designs and are
artifacts of a living history.
This photo shows examples of stem design and decoration. These are
eastern woodland style twirl pipe stems. The twirls represent the four
winds. They are decorated with beads or porcupine quills as well as feathers,
hair, leather, etc.
These designs different animals and designs depending on the spiritual
use of the specific pipe. The lower two bowls show metal inlay, a design
process created during the fur trade era.
Moose Bone Ivory
Exquisitely carved from the bones of moose harvested by the artist for
food.