Early Tobacco Use in North America

North American Indians used at least nine species of tobacco, most of which were cultivated. Nicotiana tabacum, the species to which practically all the modem commercial tobaccos belong, was grown throughout Mexico, the West Indies, and in northern and eastern South America. It was unknown north of Mexico until its introduction into Virginia by the English colonists. Nicotiana rustica, a much hardier species with a yellow flower, was grown by the Indians of the eastern United States and Canada as far west as the great plains and as far north as agriculture was possible. It was the first tobacco grown in Virginia for the European trade, but was soon supplanted there by N. tabacum. N. attenuata was used over a larger area than any other species. It is found in its natural state in the southwestern United States and southern plains, and as a cultivated plant extends northward into western Canada and British Columbia. It was also cultivated on the lower Colorado, but the typical Pueblo tribes do not seem to have raised it. N. multivalvis was grown in Washington and Oregon, as well as by the Crow, who lived on the western edge of the plains. A related species (N. quadrivalvis) was grown by the settled tribes along the Missouri River. Still another species (N. biglovii) was used by the California tribes, and is known to have been cultivated by the Hupa. The three last-named species are rather closely related; it seems probable that N. multivalvis and N. quadrivalvis were brought into the plains area from the west, displacing N. attenuata. [1]

The custom of smoking is also characteristic of America. It was thoroughly established throughout eastern North and South America at the time of the early European explorers who spoke of it as a strange and novel practice which they often found hard to describe. It played an important part in many religious ceremonies, and the beliefs and observances connected with them. Hundreds of pipes have been found in the pre-Columbian mounds and village sites of the eastern United States. In the southwestern United States the Basket Makers, an ancient people whose remains are found below those of the prehistoric Cliff Dwellers, were smoking pipes at a time which could not have been much later than the beginning of our era.[2]

Plains Indian Pipes

Pipes have remained an enduring symbol for native peoples.

Used both for secular and ceremonial purposes, pipes were usually brought out at group functions such as war rallies, trading, ritual dances, healing ceremonies, marriage negotiations, and dispute settlements. Tobacco was considered to be a gift from the supernatural powers to man, although leaves, roots, grasses, various barks and herbs also were used. The smoke produced by the pipe helped carry prayers to their destination.[5]

Plains Indian Pipes: Catlinite (Pipestone)

While pipe ‘bowls’ are and were made of a variety of stone, the best known were made of a red stone called pipestone or catlinite. Its sources in the United States are Barron County, Wisconsin, and, more commonly, Pipestone, Minnesota. The stone was so valued that the Dakota Sioux gained control of the Minnesota mine in the 1700s. Subsequently, the stone could only be acquired through permission of the Sioux. Catlinite is named after George Catlin, one of the most prominent 19th century artists to depict the Plains Indian peoples and their way of life. Catlin visited the pipestone mines in 1836, making notes about the quarry site and the native method of pipe construction.[6]

Some believe that Native American beadwork reached an artistic height in color, design and production in a period that extended from the 1860s to the 1890s. During this time, Native Americans experienced an upheaval in their traditional lives, as well an abundance of new, plentiful, and varied materials (beads, cloth, dyes, etc.). This confluence of events, along with a developing marketplace for these handcrafted goods, led to an output not previously seen of these items. [9]

For the Plains Indian, the pipebag was second only to the moccasin in terms of what the marketplace desired. The height of pipebag design is from the time of the Indian Wars until the onset of the 20th century. The earlier bags generally were slimmer and longer than the than those post-1900. Design is generally less complex in form, bold ornamentation, and contrasting elements than the later bags that often have extended design elements on a white background.[10]

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