Not Just An Addiction - Another Meaning To The Use of Tobacco

With the hard work of many individuals, smoking rates have decreased in Canada. The smoking rate decreased by about 15% from 1980 to 2004 (Wong, 2006)! Although this is good news for Canada as a whole, it appears that the prevalence of First Nations smoking although also decreased, is still quite high with an astounding 59% of Aboriginals on reserve who smoke (Health Canada, 2011).

           

There are many factors that influence the smoking rate of the First Nations in Canada although some factors in this list are not strictly limited to Aboriginals: nicotine addiction, ease of access for aboriginal youths (whether they get it from friends, family, or willing retailers), poverty, poor education, having access to tax-free tobacco on reserves, as well as the cultural meaning of the use of tobacco (Wong, 2006). For this blog entry, I will be focusing on the last point: the cultural meaning of using tobacco among the First Nations in Canada.

For many Aboriginals, smoking is not just a way to relieve stress or to be accepted into a social group. Smoking has a deeper meaning to many where it becomes part of rituals and traditional ceremonies (Wong, 2006). For First Nations, tobacco is vital in ceremonies where it creates a link between the person performing the ceremony and all living things as well as the Creator. This powerful link can be established by smoking a sacred pipe (Godlaski, 2012). 

These spiritual practices have existed for more than 2300 years (Godlaski, 2012) and carry a significant cultural meaning to the First Nations people of Canada. Through stories, it is known that the pipe was a vital part in sacred acts, as described in the passage below:

“What is perhaps most important is that the sacred pipe is a metonymy; it represents itself, the use of tobacco, and the worshipful act. The pipe is a kind of altar or sacrificial vessel, in which the offering of tobacco is burned, sending its smoke to all directions of the cosmos and ultimately to the Great Holy” (Paper, 1987, 1988).

Therefore, without the use of the pipe in rituals, there would be no meaning or power associated with the act (Godlaski, 2012).

Interestingly, the tobacco used in such ceremonies actually has more nicotine in it when compared to other tobacco ranging from 3.9- 8.6%. The more common types of tobacco only contain 0.05- 4% nicotine (Godlaski, 2012). This puts individuals at risk of developing an addiction to tobacco and may cause them not only use it ritually but also recreationally.

                                Pipe Bowl                                      Mississippi Style Bowl 

The whole entire ritual from the way the tobacco is put into the pipe to smoking and eventually the end of the ceremony holds significant meaning and requires meticulous preparation. The use of tobacco in such rituals is therefore key to the Aboriginals.

            If you’re interested in reading more about the use of tobacco in Aboriginals, try looking at this pdf: http://www.cps.ca/en/documents/position/tobacco-aboriginal-people

References:

Godlaski, T.M. (2012). Holy Smoke: Tobacco Use Among Native American Tribes in North America. Informa Healthcare, 1-8. doi: 10.3109/10826084.2012.739490

Health Canada. (2011). First Nations & Inuit Health. Retrieved from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fniah-spnia/substan/tobac-tabac/index-eng.php

Wong, S. (2010, June). Use and misuse of tobacco among Aboriginal peoples. Paediatric    Child Health, 11(10), 681-5. Retrieved from http://www.cps.ca/en/documents/position/tobacco-aboriginal-people