Tobacco – Cash Crop or Sacred Smoke

Tobacco – Cash Crop or Sacred Smoke

Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011) However, tobacco use can be greatly distinguished by how it is used; either for its addictive properties or, for its use in spiritual prayer and offering. Western mainstream culture has glamourized the use of tobacco and it was often associated with romance, relaxation and adventure. (Tobacco. Alcohol, Tobacco and Illicit Drugs, 2008). There is another aspect of the use of tobacco – the spiritual aspect which encompasses people’s beliefs, identity and spirituality.

Before the arrival of Europeans in America, Native Americans were growing and harvesting tobacco to be smoked in pipes. Europeans exploring America learned of this practice and took tobacco seeds back to Europe where tobacco was grown and used as a medicine to help people relax.  (Tobacco. West's Encyclopedia of American Law, 2005) It wasn’t until the early seventeenth century that commercial production of tobacco began in the colony of Virginia where it became an important crop. Between 2000 and 2010, world cigarette production increased by twelve percent. Today, cigarette companies produce nearly six trillion cigarettes per year. (The Tobacco Atlas, 2012)

Each year, an estimated 443,000 people die prematurely from smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke, and another 8.6 million live with a serious illness caused by smoking. Despite these risks, approximately 46.6 million U.S. adults smoke cigarettes.  (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). However, the tobacco commonly used today is not the same as the sacred tobacco used for Native American prayer, ceremonies and spiritual offerings. According to the Lakota elders, commercial tobacco use is described as casual, unspiritual, and destructive to health and culture, while “cansasa” (traditional tobacco) is used to promote spirituality, interconnectedness, humility, hope, and respect. Additionally, the tribal elders linked strong positive messages connected to traditional tobacco use (i.e.: spirituality, respect, health and wellness, humility, thoughtfulness) and suggested strong negative messages linked to addictive commercial tobacco (i.e. crime, loss of control and self-esteem, lack of respect to self and others, sickness and death). (R. Margalit, 2013)

The historical Native American ties with the sacred tobacco leaves are deeply rooted in their cultural beliefs. In the Hopi culture, every important ceremony is started with the sacred ritual of smoking naturally harvested Hopi tobacco. A man belonging to the Tobacco clan fills a clay pipe with dried tobacco leaves and then the pipe is lit by a man from the Fire Clan. The men ingest the smoke and fill it with pure thoughts of good things for all mankind. The smoke is not inhaled; it is only kept in the mouth to be filled thoughts and prayers coming from the heart. The smoke is then released into the air, reaching high into the heavens. It is symbolic in the way the Tobacco plant was once rooted deep into Mother Earth and how the cloud of smoke carries the thoughts and prayers up to the Great Creator. This ritual however, is very different from smoking cigarettes, cigars and other forms of commercialized tobacco containing harmful chemicals.

Commercial tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, and various forms of smokeless tobacco are packed with so many deadly chemicals and recently they have been marketed towards America’s youth. With their seductive “Joe Camel” advertisements (now retired) and other similar youth-oriented marketing approaches, they made smoking highly attractive to today’s youth. (McKenzie James F., 2008) These advertisements seem to be working because the National surveillance systems report that tobacco use is more prevalent among American Indian/Alaska Natives than any other population, and is notably higher than the national average. (R. Margalit, 2013) One possible reason tobacco use is more prevalent among the Native American communities could be that individuals are using commercial tobacco in the context of tradition where the distinction between commercial tobacco and traditional tobacco becomes vague.

In conclusion, the use of commercial tobacco or traditional tobacco is greatly influenced by the user’s purpose. Despite the health risks associated with commercial tobacco, approximately 21 percent of the U.S. population smoke cigarettes. Traditional use of tobacco has deep ties within the Native American/Alaskan Native communities, however modern conveniences of commercial tobacco is one possible reason why tobacco use is most prevalent among American Indian/Alaskan Natives. Finally, even though there are clear differences, the distinction between commercial tobacco and traditional tobacco is becoming vague because individuals using commercial tobacco may still be doing so in the context of tradition, and as a result, commercial tobacco products may be substituted for traditional tobacco and now permeated with its meaning. (R. Margalit, 2013)

 

 

 

Works Cited

Tobacco. West's Encyclopedia of American Law. (2005). Retrieved April 17, 2013, from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3437704397.html

Tobacco. Alcohol, Tobacco and Illicit Drugs. (2008). Retrieved April 17, 2013, from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3049100009.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011, February 22). Retrieved April 15, 2013, from Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion: http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/AAG/osh.htm

The Tobacco Atlas. (2012). Retrieved April 17, 2013, from The Tobacco Atlas : http://www.tobaccoatlas.org/industry

McKenzie James F., P. R. (2008). An Introduction to Community Health. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Barlett.

R. Margalit, S. W.-G. (2013). Lakota Elders’ Views on Traditional Versus Commercial/Addictive Tobacco Use; Oral History Depicting a Fundamental Distinction. Journal of Community Health, 13-15.