Tionantati's Native Prisoner Program
lawrence anthony shorty (lshorty@unm.edu)
Sat, 5 Oct 1996 14:53:57 -0600 (MDT)
Hello, my name is Lawrence Shorty and I run a Native educational
program called Tionantati: Native Tobacco People. The Native-based ideas
for the Traditional Native American Tobacco Seed Bank program are
derived from Tionantati. I am Dine and Mississippi Choctaw. I would
like to help Native prisoners to continue to have access to their holy
materials.
As a Native "tobacco" farmer I am following my family and my
people's ways to preserve the sanctity of the plant used to make smoke.
Understandably it is difficult for Native people to have tobacco
within a prison system because it is considered contraband. The problem
exists because tobacco contains the addictive poison nicotine that is a
narcostimulant. Officials may not also understand the religious
significance of that plant that is used to make prayer, either. I
believe that I can help bridge an understanding between prison
officials, inmates, and spiritual leaders. I have developed an
Accountability Model based upon Native belief and understanding of
"tobacco." This model promotes spirituality and wellness and can be
used as the basis for behavioral modification programs.
The model is easy to understand, Native spirituality is not.
The model allows itself to be scrutinized because it is so
understandable. If prisoners subscribe to the Accountability Model,
then I think the sacred material can exist.
I am the Native side of the Traditional Native American Tobacco
Seed Bank. Not all "tobacco" has nicotine. In a system where control
of contraband exists because of its psycoactive properties, the
"tobacco" I could provide you with would either have significantly lower
nicotine or no nicotine depending on availability. The "tobacco" could
be controlled by the chaplaincy, the fundamental property of this sacred
plant can endure that treatment (ask me how).
In any case, I am very excited about talking with you about my
project. I am presenting at the Wellness and Spirituality Conference in
Tucson next month that is being produced by the University of Oklahoma.
I hope to see you there if you are attending!
ahehe,
Lawrence A. Shorty
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Tionantati: Native Tobacco People
424 Yale S.E. #4
Albuquerque, NM 87106
(505)254-8503
lshorty@unm.edu