Tobacco use has been linked with many different diseases, especially of
the oral and respiratory systems. Smoking has been found to cause
leukoplakia, cancers of the oral cavity, gingival recession, hypertension,
and nicotine dependence. One third of all continuous cigarette users will
die of tobacco related disease. Tobacco is also vastly important to the
indigenous population of the Americas. This often presents a problem with
health intervention programs designed to curb cigarette or other tobacco
use because of tobaccos sacred value to Natives. The genus Nicotiana has
many species which have been, and are still used by Indigenous people.
Native people have used tobacco to heal illnesses, make alliances, and to
pray. In many instances, the availability of real tobacco, the
traditional tobacco used by a group, is low or non-existent. As a result,
the utilization of commercial tobacco is substituted. This has resulted
in all forms of tobacco, not just real tobacco, but commercial as well
being made sacred, hampering intervention programs.
An intervention program that makes the distinction between real and
commercial tobacco, encourages community involvement, and makes available
the sacred plant is needed to facilitate health efforts. Tionantati makes
the clearest distinction between commercial and real tobacco. This
distinction, allows health education/disease prevention efforts to have
greater access to communities while maintaining and promoting Native
values, including the sacred use of the plant given us to make smoke.
Tionantati is a Native concept for Natives.
Tionantati: Native Tobacco People
Purpose:
1. Provide culturally specific tobacco interventions for youth and adult
through education and the sharing of Native ways.
2. Promote cultural pride, health, and well-being using Native teachings
and Native plants.
3. Provide curriculum development assistance.
4. Provide Native plants for ceremonial use, pow-wows, and other Native
gatherings.
Tionantati: Native Tobacco People is a program designed by a Native for
Native people. This program encourages youth and adults to truly respect
the plant given to make smoke and to reject the use of tobacco from an
industry that promotes lies and deception. Tionantati seeks to help
communities in their promotion of cultural pride and the sharing of
knowledge to reclaim identity, to return to the basic teachings.
Tionantati's program, with its Accountability Model has great potential
for use in Native teachings-based behavioral modification programs.
Communication with honesty and integrity are stressed in the program.
Tionantati: Native Tobacco People has a sacred plant(s) growing program
whose intention is to provide plants that are grown specifically for
Native people and their ceremony.
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Contact: Lawrence Shorty, Director Ph. 505.254.8503
Tionantati: Native Tobacco People email: lshorty@unm.edu
424 Yale S.E. #4
Albuquerque, NM 87106
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