How do you use tobacco as a traditional native
medicine?
Watch this video to find out five ways to
use native tobacco as a sacred medicine.
I'm Mallory Graham, Anishnaabek [inaudible
00:00:13] from tribaltradeco.com.
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How do you use tobacco as a medicine?
We are here to share these five traditional
ways to use tobacco as a sacred medicine.
We've helped thousands of people find traditional
sacred medicines for their unique needs, as
well as how to use them, and now it's your
turn.
By the end of this video, you will know exactly
what the top five traditional uses of tobacco
are.
In the indigenous culture, there are four
sacred medicines, tobacco, sage, cedar, and
sweet grass.
Tobacco however, is most commonly known for
commercial tobacco products.
But did you know how important tobacco is
for traditional uses in the indigenous culture?
Indigenous people from all over the world
have used tobacco for hundreds of years, to
connect with the Creator, Mother Earth, the
spirits and each other, but why is native
tobacco so important?
Tobacco is considered the most sacred of the
indigenous sacred medicines.
It's used in pretty much every ceremony as
a way to connect directly with the Creator.
It also was said to be the first medicine
to be given to the initial Anishnaabek people
from the Creator.
Here are the five traditional uses for the
native tobacco medicine.
The first traditional use for tobacco medicine
is in a pipe ceremony.
The pipe ceremony is typically held at the
beginning of a large gathering, an event,
or even a negotiation.
In most pipe ceremonies, there is an offering
of the pipe smoke to all four directions,
also to the sky and to the Earth to acknowledge
all four elements.
Each person attending the pipe ceremony take
their turn to either blow smoke from the sacred
pipe or waft it around their body in order
to ask for guidance and protection.
An important thing to note is that the smoke
from the tobacco is typically not inhaled
during a pipe ceremony.
The second traditional use for the tobacco
medicine is the non-smoke offering.
Traditionally, dried tobacco leaves are commonly
offered to the Creator in a dry, unaltered
form.
Tobacco leaves may be placed on the ground
or sprinkled near the water or placed on a
rock as a way of expressing gratitude.
When you offer dry tobacco leaves, it's often
done in a sacred place, and it's usually accompanied
by a prayer to the Creator for whatever purpose
that you are making that offering for.
Have you ever used tobacco as a sacred medicine?
If so, where?
Please let us know in the comments below.
Now we've looked at the first two traditional
uses of tobacco as a sacred medicine, which
is number one, in pipe ceremonies, and two
as a non smoke offering.
The third traditional use for native tobacco
is in smoke rituals.
The most common traditional use of tobacco
as a sacred medicine is in smoke rituals,
but that doesn't always have to include a
sacred pipe.
How this has done is tobacco is sprinkled
over a fire or over hot coals.
My elders have told me that the smoke from
the burning tobacco is a direct connection
to the Creator.
The fourth traditional use of tobacco as a
sacred medicine is as a gift to an elder.
Tobacco is offered an exchange for knowledge,
wisdom, or guidance, or even in exchange for
other medicines or healing.
If you have received guidance or healing from
an elder, a spiritual leader, or a knowledge
keeper, that's a good opportunity to give
them a tobacco offering as a sign of gratitude.
I've also been told by my grandparents that
the offering and acceptance of tobacco can
be considered a binding contract.
Now the fifth traditional use for tobacco
as a sacred medicine is in thanks for other
sacred medicines.
So along with tobacco, there are three other
sacred medicines, all of which were gifted
to us from the Creator and from Mother Earth.
when harvesting sacred medicines, we as indigenous
people will often leave sprinkles of tobacco
as an offering of thanks to the Creator and
to Mother Earth for giving us those gifts.
So now after understanding these five traditional
ways of using tobacco as a sacred medicine,
you now know why the sacred tobacco medicine
is so deeply important to the indigenous culture.
If you're wanting to learn more about the
various sacred medicines and the smudging
process, then download our free guide at the
link in the description below.
If you liked this video, please let us know
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it in the comments, be sure to subscribe and
share it with your friends.
Thanks so much for watching guys.
We will see you next time.
