RESEARCH DATA:

Referred to as kuwako/suwako in the Cordillera Region, the practice of smoking with a pipe gave rise to the creation of small, portable pipes carried by both men and women in their utility bags. These pipes were crafted from materials such as brass, using the lost wax technique, as well as wood or clay. While many pipes had plain bowls, others featured elaborate designs. The brass pipes, adorned with chains, beads, twill-plaited, and beaded rattan, showcased various styles. The introduction of tobacco to the Cordillera by the neighboring Ilocos Region, learned from the Spaniards, led to its consumption in Northern Luzon as a stimulant on various occasions by both men and women, either as cigarettes, cigars, or rolled into small balls and smoked in tobacco pipes (Meyer and Schadenberg, 1890).

A smoking pipe is intricately designed for tobacco consumption and is comprised of two parts: the bowl or chamber where the tobacco is lit, and the shank, a thin hollow stem attached to the pipe's bowl through which the smoke passes into the smoker's mouth. More elaborate designs are crafted from various metals, produced in distinct locations, and often traded or sold.