The calumet is defined by its stem which is usually three or more feet long and elaborately decorated, its pipe-head is usually plain and T-shaped. Most people know the calumet as the "Peace Pipe" and the calumet was used to promote peace and forge alliances. However, there was also a calumet used for war. The calumet functions today in various rituals. The age of the calumet is unknown; it was in use by many Native American tribes when Europeans arrived on the North American continent.

The tomahawk pipe (18th and 19th centuries) was first made by the French and British for trade with Native Americans however Europeans and Euro-Americans also carried them. Usually made of brass, it was a combination of a metal trade axe or hatchet and a pipe-head. Stone reproductions appeared in the early 19th century.

The molded one-piece ceramic trade pipe (17th - 19th century) was made by many different Europeans and later Canadians and Americans for trade with the American Indians. These, however, were used more often by their makers than the Native Americans.

T-shaped pipes are usually associated with Plains Indians, however, they have been used by many different tribes from the American mid-west to the Rockies since European contact to the present day.

The elbow pipe is a widely used pipe style, both in time span and geography.

Micmac pipes have been found from the Atlantic coast to the Rocky Mountains.

Trumpet pipes have been found on historic Native American sites.

Ovoid and Keel pipes are probably Historic Native American, as well.

The Disc pipe is a characteristic artifact of the Oneota (circa 1000 AD - 1650 AD), a prehistoric culture of the upper mid-west.

Effigy and Portrait pipe styles range from early prehistoric to contemporary.

The Platform pipe is a diagnostic artifact of the Hopewell Culture (circa 200 BC to 500 AD) that was centered in the Ohio River Valley but its trade and belief network extended over most of central and eastern North American.