Rhode Island Indian Council Elder’s Statement on Tobacco Control

• Our traditional culture plays a significant role in ensuring health and healing in the Native community; and our disconnect to Native culture contributes to our unhealthiness. Therefore, there are some generic things we have to address to have a successful smoking cessation program, that is, for the people to reconnect with their culture, traditions and community.
  
  
• It is important that we pass on these messages on tobacco control comes from the actual doing of the traditional practices.  We want to align the messages we give about tobacco with our everyday life cycle and traditions; with the stories, drumming and dancing as vehicles for passing down information and knowledge in the Native community.
  
  
• We must counter the misperception that the close association of sacred tobacco with significant events and ceremonies in Native culture undermines tobacco prevention and control efforts in our community. We aim to restore the integrity of sacred tobacco as a spiritual and healing element in our culture.  And we celebrate and promote the natural connection between sacred tobacco, the Circle, dancing and healing.
  
  
• The information alone will not change behaviors, or stop the smoking habit, or counter peer pressure, for change happens from inside out, from knowing who you are, knowing the connection to your ancestors and culture; from inside the circle and the community.  Then, the learning will stay with our youth and they will share that knowledge with their parents and elders.