Ceremonial/ Traditional Tobacco Use Patterns of Urban American Indians in the Midwest

Transcription

1 Ceremonial/ Traditional Tobacco Use Patterns of Urban American Indians in the Midwest AICTP Adult Tobacco Interviews 2005 Jennifer Irving, MPH candidate

2 Types of tobacco Native Tobacco Commercial tobacco

3 How do Indians use tobacco? Smoked in a pipe Burned in a dish (like incense) Offered (put on the ground, buried, or wrapped in cloth and tied to a tree) to the spirits (of water, plants, animals, ancestors or the Creator) During daily prayer When harvesting food and medicine; During storms; To give honor to a namesake, clan, or sacred animal Offered to other Indians as a sign of respect When you are asking them to do something for you (share knowledge, sing a song, prayer, healing, ceremony).

4 Some people carry tobacco all the time. Sometimes I go outside and I do a lot of talking to my Creator too, like the old man did, especially if I m troubled. But, I don t smoke the tobacco that they have now. I put it in my hand and after I m done then I lay it by a tree and bury the tobacco because that s what they say; that it goes back to our Creator. Ojibwe female, age 72.

5 People are growing lazy and complacent. It s easier to go to the store and get Pall Malls or whatever... The truth is that if you really want to show respect for ceremonies that are involved in sending a person off to the spirit world, you go out and harvest that asema. You are out there and praying. It becomes more significant then. You bring it back and set it out there in a bowl and then different people use it and they come to know it. Ojibwe male, age 58.

6 Adult Interviews Flier, The Circle ad, referrals N=300 Ages 18-74, reflecting population age, gender distribution Administered by Native SC members Community locations $25 gift card

7 Participant Characteristics Tribal Affiliation Anishinabe/Ojibwe 70% Dakota/Lakota 19% Ho-chunk 2% Other 9% Arapaho, Blackfeet, Chickasaw, Menomonie, Navajo, Northern Cheyenne, Omaha, Oneida, Ponca, Seneca, Southern Cheyenne, Three Affiliated Tribes Age Distribution years 21% years 20% years 26% years 15% years 12% 65+ years 7% Gender Female 53% Male 47%

8 Traditional Tobacco Teachings (n=300) 92% of participants knew traditional tobacco use teachings. Not just one person teaching about traditional tobacco use Spiritual Advisor/ Medicine Person Aunt/Uncle, Grandparents, Parents, and Community Leaders Friends, Cousins, and Siblings

9 Ceremonial use of tobacco in past year by gender (n = 216) 90% 85% 80% 83% 86% 75% 70% 65% 74% Overall Female Male

10 Ceremonial use of tobacco in past year by smoking status (n = 216) 95% 90% 85% 80% 75% 70% 65% 90% 87% 83% 76% Overall Never Former Current

11 "How often do you use tobacco for ceremonial prayer or traditional reasons?" (n=206) Few times/ year or less 17% Monthly 28% Daily or weekly 55%

12 "What type of tobacco do you use most often for ceremonial prayer or traditional reasons?" (n=213) Pouch/ packaged tobacco 59% Native tobacco plant/mix 23% Cigarettes 18%

13 Access to Traditional Tobacco How hard is it for you to get traditional tobacco? (n=202) 53% - some difficulty Women - more difficulty than men (54% vs. 46%) Slight differences by age: Elders - 43% say hard Young adults - 64% say hard No differences by smoking status

14 "How hard is it for you to get traditional tobacco?" by type of tobacco used most often for ceremonial prayer or traditional reasons (n=202) 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 53% Overall 42% Native tobacco 54% 56% Cigarettes Packaged tobacco

15 Next Steps for the AICTP Partnership Website: Reaction focus groups to help interpret 600 surveys with Native teens Share results with community Community feasts Presentations to community groups Data reports for community Co-author scientific papers