Four Sacred Plant Gifts

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1 Lisa D. Harjo, Choctaw Omaha, NE August 2011 Traditional Tobacco - Harjo CDC Northern Plains Cancer Conference Four Sacred Plant Gifts! There are four plants that are very important to Native People.! Native People use these medicines for offering, smudging, and praying.! Different Tribes have varying traditions for the use of these plants.! These medicines are sacred. Keep Tobacco Sacred

2 Four Sacred Plant Gifts! Mother Earth has many gifts. These gifts must be respected and used in their proper way.! Tobacco! Sage! Sweet Grass! Cedar Keep Tobacco Sacred Tobacco! Tobacco is considered to be an herb whose smoke can bring clarity. When it is smoked it is said that the smoke carries the prayers to the Creator. The tobacco leaf is 6-12 inches long, dark green, large, broad and pointed. Keep Tobacco Sacred

3 What is the History of Tobacco for American Indians?! Each Tribe has its own beliefs about Tobacco and its origins.! Tribal stories carry the story of the origin of tobacco or how the gift of tobacco came to the people.! Tribal stories also tell how to use tobacco and take care of it for future generations. Keep Tobacco Sacred Tribal Medicinal Uses of Tobacco Tobacco paste to put on an infant s gums during teething Tobacco paste put on wounds or injuries to provide some anesthesia Thin tobacco solution to ward off insects (e.g., mosquito repellant) Keep Tobacco Sacred

4 Tribal Medicinal Uses of Tobacco Examples of other traditional medicinal uses Ø asthma Ø rheumatism Ø chills Ø fevers Ø headaches Ø earaches Ø toothaches Ø intestinal disorders Ø childbirth pains Keep Tobacco Sacred Keep Tobacco Sacred Tobacco abuse is not traditional use of tobacco. Tobacco has been used for many generations as offerings to the spirits, for planting, for gathering food, for healings, and for ceremonies. Tobacco is medicine. 8 4

5 Changing Commercial Tobacco Use in Our Community How Do We Change a Community?! Change the behavior of individuals.! Change what the community thinks is acceptable behavior.! Change the community environment. 5

6 What Does Individual Behavior Change Look Like? (examples)! Prevention of commercial tobacco use! Get kids who are experimenting to stop.! Get the people who sell commercial tobacco to kids to stop.! Quit using commercial tobacco.! Try to quit.! Call the Quitline.! Ask a doctor/nurse/clinic for help.! Protect people from secondhand smoke! Stop smoking in the car and at home when the kids are around.! Ask people who are smoking around kids to stop. Changing Individual Behavior! Not everyone is thinking about what you want them to do in the same way.! Studies show that some people are:! Not even thinking about what we want them change.! Thinking about it but haven t yet decided to make the change or how to make it.! Have decided to make the change are are getting ready to do it.! Changing! Keeping up the change.! We need ideas about to reach people no matter where they are in their thinking. 6

7 Changing What is Acceptable to a Community! Find out if what people think about commercial tobacco use is true.! Understand what is currently acceptable with respect to commercial tobacco use.! Come up with ideas for changing what people think and do about commercial tobacco use. Changing the Community Environment! The community environment is where we go to school, where we work, where we play, and where we meet.! Find out what parts of the environment either accept or encourage commercial tobacco use.! Come up with ideas to change those things.! Examples:! Restrict adult smoking in schools and on campuses.! Limit smoking where food is served.! Increase the cost of commercial tobacco products. 7

8 How Do We Get Started With Changing?! Participate actively in the project.! Find out what your friends and neighbors think about commercial tobacco use (invite some to the focus groups and just ask others what they think).! Gather all the ideas you can a begin talking about them together.! Develop a plan of action (more later on this). Colorado Project 2006: Expected Outcomes (1) two functional Native Tobacco Coalitions (Denver Ute Mountain Ute) (2) baseline data from local focus and working groups to help the Coalitions prioritize issues; and 8

9 Expected Outcomes cont. (3)a list of recommendations based on the focus and working group input by the respective Coalitions for tribal- and geographically-specific tobacco interventions they feel need to be developed in the near future to appropriately address the priorities in culturally respectful manners. Project Goal! To increase Native communities capacity for tobacco control by developing two well educated Native American Tobacco Education Coalitions in Denver and Ute Mountain Ute Reservation. 9

10 Strategy 1 Educate both of the Native tobacco control coalitions on the latest, most appropriate tobacco prevention and control information and interventions effective within Native and non-native communities (includes evidence based and native-specific strategies.) Advisory Coalition! Met March, April (twice), May, and June 2 hours each! Training in February All day February 16! Provides guidance and leadership during gathering of information from community, and development, implementation and dissemination of the plan to the community! Continues with Project during subsequent funding to provide leadership 10

11 Focus Groups! Conducted to gather more information directly from community members! Four groups in Denver Area: 2 all ages, 1 youth, and 1 elders.! Questions from TAB and Coalition and 2-3 discussion questions! 2 hours in duration, 8 participants, $20 each Respect Tobacco Ceremonial Use Denver, Colorado September

12 Focus Groups and Surveys NATE conducted a series of Focus Groups and surveys in the Denver Metro Area with American Indian people of all ages during the Spring and Summer of 2006 to learn more about attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors related to tobacco. Who Participated? 59 American Indians who reside in Denver, CO What we Learned from our Community Based on the responses of the American Indians who participated in the Focus Groups and surveys:! 60% use tobacco for ceremonial purposes! 45% use traditional, non-commercial tobacco for ceremonial purposes! Over 50% of American Indians use both traditional tobacco and commercially prepared tobacco for ceremonial purposes! 47% use tobacco for non-ceremonial purposes Respect Tobacco General Information Denver, Colorado September

13 What we Learned from our Community Based on the responses of the American Indians who participated in the Focus Groups and surveys:! 41% currently smoke cigarettes! 6% currently chew tobacco! 38% smoke tobacco when they drink alcohol Who Participated? 59 American Indians who reside in Denver, CO 40% males 60% females! 58% have smoked more than 100 cigarettes in their life! 41% first tried tobacco between 14 and 16 years of age! 68% were introduced to tobacco by their friends or peers! 33 % began using tobacco habitually before 20 years of age Quitting! 60% use tobacco for ceremonial purposes! 45% use traditional, noncommercial tobacco for ceremonies! 18% allow smoking in their home! 26% stated a desire to quit smoking! 57% believe that enforcement for minors is not adequate! 87% believe that store owners should have a license to sell tobacco! I don t think Indians want to quit smoking! I think tobacco isn t a risk for us (American Indians) because it was a gift to us from the Creator Respect Tobacco Quitting Denver, Colorado September

14 Based on the responses of the American Indians who participated in the Focus Groups and surveys:! 41% currently smoke cigarettes! 6% currently chew tobacco! 38% smoke tobacco when they drink alcohol! 58% have smoked more than 100 cigarettes in their life! 26% stated a desire to quit smoking! 18% would use the Cold Turkey method of quitting without help or counseling! 33% began using tobacco habitually before 20 years of age What we Learned from our Community! 64% were not aware of tobacco quitting programs in the Denver American Indian community! 60% had heard of the Quitline or Quitnet ( QUIT) or co.quitnet.com! 91% have never contact the Quitline or Quitnet! 26% stated that they would like to quit using tobacco in the next six months! 97% were aware of the harm second hand smoke can cause to children and youth, homes, and people Respect Tobacco Youth / Children Denver, Colorado September

15 What we Learned from our Community Who Participated? 59 American Indians who reside in Denver, CO 40% males 60% females Based on the responses of the American Indians who participated in the Focus Groups and surveys:! 41% first tried tobacco between 14 and 16 years of age! 68% were introduced to tobacco by their friends or peers! 33% began using tobacco habitually before 20 years of age! 57% believe that enforcement for minors is not adequate! 87% believe that store owners should have a license to sell tobacco! 62% of youth believe that enforcement for minors is not adequate! 13% of youth currently smoke tobacco daily! 12% of youth use tobacco with alcohol two times a week or less! 25% of youth were exposed to second hand smoke in their home What they said! I thought it was cool every movie you went to, someone was blowing smoke it looked sophisticated.! My boyfriend got me to smoke. He was always smoking cigarettes and he said come on, smoke a cigarette So, I smoked a cigarette. Now I m hooked.! Our coach used to smoke Wow, a coach is smoking and this guy is athletic and everything. Results of Focus Groups and Community Organizing ² Adults wanted children to be healthy and happy. ² Adults who smoked were not ready to quit. ² Adults who smoked wanted their children and grandchildren to not smoke. Traditional Tobacco - Harjo CDC Northern Plains Cancer Conference

16 Long Term Impact A Curriculum for Youth about Traditional Tobacco Keep Tobacco Sacred Focus of Curriculum! Positive Self-Concept and Identity! Good Decision-Making Skills! Knowledge about Traditional Tobacco! Knowledge about Commercial Tobacco! Knowledge about Second Hand Smoke! Knowledge about Family and Community Traditional Tobacco - Harjo CDC Northern Plains Cancer Conference

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