TRADITIONAL AND NON-TRADITIONAL USE OF TOBACCO

Started by DCP, April 30, 2009, 11:32:03 AM

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DCP


"For us, tobacco is sacred. In the older teachings of what it was
all about, it was very important to see that it was sacred. A lot of
us have forgotten the sacred purposes of tobacco, for various
reasons." - Dennis Nicholas, Kanehsatake Elder, March 2002

It is a well-documented fact: tobacco use has a long history among
First Nations people. Tobacco has been used in the Americas in
rituals, ceremonies and prayer for thousands of years. Peter T. Furst
has offered evidence to suggest that tobacco has been cultivated for
over 8,000 years. Amongst First Nations, traditional tobacco has
always been, and remains to this day, sacred. When misused outside of
traditional ways, however, tobacco is no longer sacred, and has
become a major problem for First Nations communities.
There is an important difference: traditional uses are sacred and an
essential part of First Nations life, and non-traditional misuse is a
deadly epidemic. This article will talk about the difference between
traditional uses of tobacco and non-traditional tobacco\'s
consequences.



DCP

HOW IS TOBACCO SACRED?

Traditional tobacco is considered to be a sacred gift given by the
Creator and a main part of the religious ideas shared by many
Aboriginal people. These traditions are as least as old as or older
than all Western religions. Tobacco was accorded a very respected
place in First Nations culture.
Before the arrival of Europeans, says Jeff Reading, \"tobacco was by
far the most important plant in the religious lives of indigenous
North Americans.\" As well as being used for a wide variety of
medicinal purposes, it was used in many ceremonies and rituals. The
ceremonial use of tobacco had deep spiritual meaning because it
established a direct communication link between the person giving and
the spiritual world receiving.

Tobacco leaves were traditionally placed on fires or on water as
offerings to the spirits. These offerings were made for a number of
reasons, from encouraging rain in times of drought to ensuring the
safe passage of travelers on the water. Tobacco was also used as
fertilizer around other medicinal plants.

As well, tobacco was smoked: but only ceremonially. In the
traditional sense, the most powerful way of communicating with the
spirits is to smoke tobacco in a sacred pipe.


DCP

Once the Europeans arrived, the non-religious use of tobacco became
more common. Consuming tobacco became a welcomed part of trade
meetings between Aboriginal people and Europeans. Tobacco was even
grown in some areas specifically for trade. New types of (South
American) tobaccos were introduced and considered non-sacred and
therefore good for recreational use. Reading has noted that it became
a Mohawk custom to \"eat smoke\" after a meal. It became a trade good
and a luxury item.

Gradually this recreational use grew and grew until it spiraled out
of control to the point that approximately two out of every three
Aboriginal people are now habitual tobacco users. It is clear then
that traditionally tobacco use was a highly spiritual and
unquestionably legitimate part of First Nations\' cultures. Without a
basic understanding of the important role tobacco has always played
we cannot begin to understand the nature of the problem of non-
traditional tobacco misuse in Aboriginal communities.

\"First Nations need to know their history. History provides a context
for understanding individuals\' present circumstances and is an
essential part of the healing process.\" – The Assembly of First
Nations

DCP

WHAT IS TOBACCO MISUSE?

Basically, tobacco misuse (also known as recreational tobacco use) is
any use of tobacco in a non-traditional way. That means: smoking
cigarettes; smoking clove cigarettes or light cigarettes; chewing
tobacco or snuff; smoking non-traditional tobacco in non-sacred pipes
or smoking cigars; second-hand smoke; smoking while pregnant; or
giving children chewing tobacco as a pacifier.
All of these are very unhealthy and are not part of First Nations\'
traditional uses of tobacco. These are not sacred. These are
dangerous, highly addictive killers.

To sum up, tobacco traditionally has occupied a very important place.
We must see the difference between traditional use of tobacco and non-
traditional, recreational tobacco misuse. It is urgent to maintain
the use of tobacco as a traditional custom of First Nations instead
of as a deadly habit.

zoe

i dont know much about tobacco but i knew my grandma still uses cannabis in her praying processes..she put these leaves on burning coal. she says the smell of it locks god in our house.

 our god is SUN.

pallavi

its a strange tradition

Star Dust

tobacco can be used for much more healthy purposes.
applying paste of fresh tobacco leaves on skin can remove fungal infection and many skin allergies
In a day..when u dont come across any problems... you can be sure that you are traveling in wrong path - SWAMI VIVEKANANDA