Social interaction among the Xhosa, even between complete strangers, was always centered around asking for a pipe of tobacco, or ingxawa, and smoking together. Pipes such as this example, masterfully carved and carefully worked with a wealth of refined details, would have given all the more joy and pleasure to such meetings. Magnificent silvery inlay – a rich counterpoint to the warm wood – has been applied in sawtooth panels to emphasize and adorn the pipe’s many curved surfaces and focal points, including the small, rounded bosses.