Tob­ac­co is con­side­red the most sacred of the Indi­ge­nous sacred medi­ci­nes, used in vir­tual­ly every cerem­o­ny as a means of con­nec­ting direct­ly to the Crea­tor. Nati­ve tob­ac­co is used in cere­mo­nies such as pipe cere­mo­nies, non-smo­ke offe­rings, smo­ke ritu­als and giving it as a gift to an elder. Sacred medi­ci­nes include tob­ac­co medi­ci­ne or indi­ge­nous tob­ac­co, sage, cedar and sweet­grass. Sacred medi­ci­ne tob­ac­co is very important to the peo­p­le of the first nati­ons or nati­ve Ame­ri­cans. The­re are many tra­di­tio­nal uses for tob­ac­co, and Indi­ge­nous com­mu­ni­ties around the world each have their own uni­que uses for the sacred medicine.

Asema/tobacco offe­ring and teaching

The Sacred Use Of Tob­ac­co (Part 1 of 2)

The Sacred Use Of Tob­ac­co (Part 2 of 2)

We Pray with Tobacco

Told enti­re­ly from a Nati­ve Ame­ri­can per­spec­ti­ve, this docu­men­ta­ry, WE PRAY WITH TOBACCO focu­ses on the cul­tu­ral, sacred and ritu­al uses of tob­ac­co. For thou­sands of years many of the ori­gi­nal peo­p­les of the Ame­ri­cas have che­ris­hed tob­ac­co as the most sacred of all gifts given by the Crea­tor. It is holy. It sanc­ti­fies life, kee­ping ever­y­thing in balan­ce. Main­stream socie­ty suf­fers from nico­ti­ne addic­tion. What hap­pen­ed? It’s all about the natu­re of one’s rela­ti­onship to the natu­ral world, to the Sacred and to life itself.

We Pray With Tob­ac­co: Coll­ec­ted Songs