Return to First Medicines

For centuries before the arrival of Europeans, Ojibwe and Dakotas people used tobacco, in the form of kinnikinnik or chanshasha in ceremonies to carry prayers to the Creator. Using Native tobacco in a sacred manner is not a health risk. Today, commercial tobacco use in the Native American community is causing high rates of cancer. The Minnesota Native American Council on Tobacco (MNACT) is a comprehensive, multi-generational tobacco prevention and control initiative to improve the health and quality of life among Native Americans in Minnesota.

Note: If you are having trouble playing our videos, please download and install the free Quicktime Player.

See our photo album.

Download: Indigenous Peoples Task Force, Creating Healthier Policies in Indian Casinos Tribal Report (577 KB PDF)

Tribal Support Center

IPTF's Tribal Support Center is funded by the Centers for Disease Control to provide training and technical assistance to American Indian community based organizations and tribal programs. This year, IPTF will focus on Keepin It Sacred, a youth prevention/intervention pilot program. This program will educate youth on two reservations on the health effects of smoking and second hand smoke.  Each youth who takes a smoke free pledge will receive incentives.  IPTF also offers technical assistance for tribal tobacco staff and community based programs as requested. Our 5th annual Connecting Our Lifeways Conference is in the planning stages with the Minnesota Native American Council on Tobacco. For more information on any of these programs, please contact Suzannen@indigenouspeoplestf.org. or by telephone at 612-722-6248.  Migwetch

MNACT

Visit the MNACT Toolkit for more resources and information about tobacco, cessation and policy.

For more information on an effort to advocate and educate for traditional tobacco use and commercial abuse by IPTF and Minnesota Native American Council on Tobacco (MNACT).

Waybinigay Program

The Waybinigay: Releasing our Addictions project is a research based pilot study in its third year. Waybinigay provides Native American women of child-bearing age an effective cultural-based tobacco cessation intervention. This project looks at the role of social support and participation in cultural activities as markers of cessation success.

Participants of Waybinigay receive information, skills, cultural teachings, and ceremony through a six-session curriculum. The program provides access to cultural activities through evening events, and social support for quitting. Upon finishing the six-session curriculum, each participant is asked to complete a follow-up questionnaire at the 3 month, 6 month, 9 month, and 12 month mark. The participants receive incentives for completing each follow-up questionnaire.

*Please note that the cohort sessions are now complete.

Current Waybinigay Activities:

• Acupuncture & massage on Wednesdays & Saturdays
• Sewing class on Fridays
• Monthly cultural activities

Download: Tobacco Brochure (501 KB PDF)

Tobacco Rap

How to Grow Tobacco

How Big Tobacco exploits our images

Note: If you are having trouble playing our videos, please download and install the free Quicktime Player.