Ernie Benedict - Elder, Iroquois Nation
Creation: A relationship with Tobacco begins to emerge

Sky Woman began to fall to earth, and as she fell she brought with her two main plants of Tobacco and Strawberry. The water animals watched her descend. In preparation for her, the muskrat took bits of dirt and carried them to the surface of the water. The dirt was placed on the back of the sea turtle, and it is here where Sky Woman landed. The plants she was carrying took seed and continued to grow as Strawberry and Tobacco on what is now known as Turtle Island.

Tobacco was symbolic of the initiation of life, while strawberries symbolized the afterlife. Tobacco was given honour as a plant of a heavenly nature.

When Tobacco is burned the smoke rises, which provides the link to all the spirits beyond the sky. Tobacco was a gift that was given to Aboriginal people, and it had a spiritual place within our community. This carried with it a great honour.

Pipes are also tools that assisted with communicating with the spiritual world. Therefore, smoking Tobacco in pipes was held in a high regard, as symbols of communication with higher powers and great symbols of peace. The pipe was a communicator - A strong symbol of peace when oral language and speech became barriers to communicating.

QUESTION: Is the Traditional Tobacco in this story the same as the tobacco they sell in stores? If not, how is it different?

ANSWER: Tobacco in its original form had both honour and purpose. As well, Traditional Tobacco did not contain all the chemicals that are now put into tobacco. Its purpose is to communicate with the spiritual world, beyond the skies. What is sold today has been tampered with for business and profit, taking away from its original purpose.

QUESTION: There is a belief held by some Native people that commercial tobacco and Traditional Tobacco can be used interchangeably. What do we say to people who believe this?

ANSWER: When Tobacco is used in a spiritual way, it serves a purpose to aspire to good things. However, when commercial tobacco is used for ceremonial purposes, it loses something. It loses the ideal of sacredness in the ceremony. Tobacco is meant to be used in a sacred manner and not to satisfy an addictive need built up within you.

Elder Archie Cheechoo, Cree Nation

Archie talks to us about the origin of tobacco in his culture:

I'm not really sure I ever heard about the origin of tobacco in my culture but I know about the origin story of all life on earth. You know, what happened in spiritual terms.

This is a long time ago, before this earth existed. Everyone was asked by the Creator if they wanted to come forward to go to this world. So the animals, the birds, trees and all manner of spirit came forward and each said why they would want to go to the earth.

For example, one horse said, "I want to go to the earth to be there to help the people." And the Creator said to him, "But you know if you go the people are going to treat you really rough...bad."

"I'm still willing to give myself, give my life for the people," said the horse. And so did the other animals, and the trees, the spirit of the trees, the spirit of all these living creatures. They were there before the humans; the humans were the last ones that were given the opportunity to come to earth.

That's why, when Native people go hunting and we kill the moose, the deer, the beaver - that's because that's what they said they would do, including the buffalo. So they will provide themselves as a resource to the human for its survival. And so that covenant was made by the animals with the Creator. And so when they came to earth the Native people understood and knew that's why they were there. They didn't have any moral issues surrounding that because they knew what had already been pledged.

And so that's why today, if you find a hunter who follows a spiritual way, an animal will present itself to him. You know, a moose will present itself and say "Here I am; this was my commitment to provide you with food." You know the Creator said, "I will provide everything for you, and you won't need anything, and all you got to do is ask." But there was a way that our people asked and that way was with tobacco.

Tobacco grew naturally and it wasn't just one plant.

Tobacco grew naturally and it wasn't just one plant. Plants were mixed together to come up with the tobacco that is used as an offering. And the tobacco was made through prayer so that this tobacco has sacredness to it. And from the heart, the smoke always reached to the heavens, but if it wasn't coming from the heart and it was coming from the mind, it never got there. So that's how it came about.

Tobacco went before the Great Spirit and said, "I too want to go down there and be a part of the teachings, and I want to be part of the ceremonies that'll be provided."

Just like the pipe - the sacred pipe was given to the people. The stone spirit spoke and he said, "Here I am, I'm ready to do my work." And so the Native people were shown that particular stone and this was the stone you will fashion into a pipe that will be the communication, the teachings between this world and the spirit world. And by bringing the sacred pipe together you are also bringing together that which was the spirit within each human being connecting up with the spirit world and the heavens. And then in that connection flowed the teachings and the understanding of life.

Tobacco is unique because it opens such an important and such a special pool of knowledge that exists in the spirit world and also exists within us. It is within us, and then when we start any ceremony, whether it is a sweat lodge, it's the same thing. Somebody had to come forward with the tobacco and ask the Elder in the proper way. And each person who goes in the sweat lodge has a problem they want to share, and the Elder works with the tobacco and the spirits to try and help the people. And the spirit responds to the tobacco, the spirit likes to receive tobacco. And you have to respect that spirit. And when people go to the sacred fire they take tobacco and they put it in as a sign of respect.

Is there a difference between traditional tobacco and commercial tobacco when it comes to giving tobacco to an Elder?

It's always special and always good to receive traditional tobacco that's been picked from the earth. Elders like to keep that kind of tobacco to share with the spirits. Sometimes an Elder will not accept tobacco from a person because maybe the person is not ready for whatever they are asking for. The Elder has the right to accept or not accept tobacco.

Archie's views on smoking cigarettes:

A lot of people have a hard time quitting smoking; it is like alcohol - you become addicted. Even me, I began at age 16 to smoke. After my heart operation, even after my heart attack, I was still smoking. I had a hard time then. One day I had to make the decision and I was trying different ways to quit. I knew if I didn't do this it would kill me. So I went to the sweat lodge and I took my tobacco, as our grandfathers had offered this tobacco to the spirits.

And I said, "I know we offer this tobacco to the spirits for help; I‘m offering this tobacco to you because I smoke a lot of cigarettes and there's stuff in these cigarettes that hurts people. And I know I'm not rejecting the tobacco spirit but I'm rejecting the things in cigarettes that hurt me. And so I have to let go this year but I'll still be smoking the sacred pipe when we have ceremonies. So I need help - so can he help me that I can quit?" And so that's how I quit smoking. And I was able to do it cold-turkey, I had a hard time, but I succeeded after six months and I fell off here and there, but I did it. And I haven't had a craving for a cigarette since then. So it's your willpower and determination.

People are starting to get the message that smoking is bad for them.

I see a lot more people smoking outside because of second-hand smoke, even way up North. I think the advertisements are working. Children as young as those in Grade three should be taught smoking is bad for them, because a lot of kids start smoking at a young age.

We also need positive role models for the kids, especially in sports, to show smoking is bad. The problem is there is little for the kids to do in some communities. So they just hang out, and the only acceptable leisure activity that doesn't seem to have any legal consequences in the courts is smoking cigarettes. And some of it is done as a status symbol, some because of peer pressure, but then they get addicted. And if you don't have the money to feed that addiction it can lead to other things to get that money.