Sale Price:
$188.00
Original Price:
$250.00
From the rugged mountains of Northern Thailand, this artifact carries the weight of history — once borne by Kuomintang (KMT) soldiers in the 1950s. After retreating from China, many of these men settled in the Golden Triangle, where survival and ritual intertwined with farming, soldiering, and the opium trade.
Carved by hand from water buffalo bone, the pipe is etched with inscriptions that whisper of lives lived between devotion and hardship. Its patina, weathered by decades of use, reflects not only ritual practice but memory — each groove a fragment of borderland reality.
Details
Origin: Northern Thailand
Era: 1950s
Maker/Users: KMT army soldiers, opium farmers
Material: Water buffalo bone, hand-carved and inscribed
Dimensions: 14.5"
Condition: Vintage, with natural patina from age and use
Note: Display stand shown in photos is not included
Historical Significance
Artifact of the Golden Triangle: A rare remnant of a turbulent era when the region stood at the crossroads of empire, migration, and trade
Hand-Carved Memory: Inscriptions embody survival, ceremony, and the blending of artistry with raw necessity
Bone as Vessel: Water buffalo bone — emblem of endurance and sacrifice in Southeast Asia — transforms this tool into both cultural relic and functional instrument
Not merely a pipe — but a vessel of memory, carved from endurance and carried through a landscape of resilience and survival.
Note on Sacred Objects
Our pieces often originate in Buddhist traditions, yet their essence is universal. You do not need to be Buddhist — nor hold any specific beliefs — to welcome them into your life. These objects are not bound to religious worship; they are reminders of awareness, compassion, and our shared human connection. Whether worn, carried, or placed in your space, they serve as anchors for mindfulness and presence — a quiet reminder of the truth that we are all connected.
From the rugged mountains of Northern Thailand, this artifact carries the weight of history — once borne by Kuomintang (KMT) soldiers in the 1950s. After retreating from China, many of these men settled in the Golden Triangle, where survival and ritual intertwined with farming, soldiering, and the opium trade.
Carved by hand from water buffalo bone, the pipe is etched with inscriptions that whisper of lives lived between devotion and hardship. Its patina, weathered by decades of use, reflects not only ritual practice but memory — each groove a fragment of borderland reality.
Details
Origin: Northern Thailand
Era: 1950s
Maker/Users: KMT army soldiers, opium farmers
Material: Water buffalo bone, hand-carved and inscribed
Dimensions: 14.5"
Condition: Vintage, with natural patina from age and use
Note: Display stand shown in photos is not included
Historical Significance
Artifact of the Golden Triangle: A rare remnant of a turbulent era when the region stood at the crossroads of empire, migration, and trade
Hand-Carved Memory: Inscriptions embody survival, ceremony, and the blending of artistry with raw necessity
Bone as Vessel: Water buffalo bone — emblem of endurance and sacrifice in Southeast Asia — transforms this tool into both cultural relic and functional instrument
Not merely a pipe — but a vessel of memory, carved from endurance and carried through a landscape of resilience and survival.
Note on Sacred Objects
Our pieces often originate in Buddhist traditions, yet their essence is universal. You do not need to be Buddhist — nor hold any specific beliefs — to welcome them into your life. These objects are not bound to religious worship; they are reminders of awareness, compassion, and our shared human connection. Whether worn, carried, or placed in your space, they serve as anchors for mindfulness and presence — a quiet reminder of the truth that we are all connected.
