This pipe was used in a ritual performed by the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes (RAOB). The RAOB are a Friendly Society. A pipe like this would be broken over the member's right shoulder before being signed by the other members who attended the ceremony. As the pipe is broken the brothers say "From earth we come and to earth we will return". This ritual is performed every time a member or "Brother" moves up a step in the ranks. This pipe (or Insignia of Peace as it is known in the ceremonies) was used to raise a "Brother" to the "Knight Order of Merit". The "Knight Order of Merit" is the 3rd Degree in the rankings and the red on the end of the pipe tells us which degree the Brother is attaining. There are four degrees in total and the pipes get bigger as they move up the degrees.

This is a white clay pipe with red mouthpiece. You might recognise it as similar to a Church Warden style pipe. It is a modern reproduction that it used specifically for such ceremonies. It is covered in a number of signatures and is snapped in the centre, evidence that it has been used in the raising of a brother to the degree of Knight Order of Merit. However, Phil Inverarity, a member of the Unitas Lodge in Tranent recalls that "When these pipes are order from the supplier in England, sometimes they arrive already snapped and they do not guarantee safe transit."