Tobacco and Culture: First Nation Peoples face the ChallengeTobacco and Culture: First Nation Peoples face the Challenge
All In The Mind
Sucking on cigarettes. It's a public health nightmare for the world's indigenous peoples. Maori women have the word's highest rates of lung cancer. Smoking rates haven't dropped in 15 years amongst Aboriginal Australians. But, for Native Americans native tobacco still has sacred, ceremonial value. Three First Nation leaders discuss the complex past and present of tobacco use and abuse in their cultures. And, they're making their presence felt - from the first smoke free Native American community, to a public apology by the world's biggest cigarette manufacturer to Maoris.
29:53•11 Nov 2006
Tobacco, Tradition and Resistance Among First Nation Peoples
Episode Overview
- Indigenous advocates link tobacco use to self-determination, naming the tobacco industry as a key culprit rather than blaming individuals alone.
- Maori campaigns use strong language and imagery to highlight tobacco-related deaths and cultural exploitation, challenging global companies directly.
- The Blackfeet Nation separates sacred native tobacco from commercial products and has passed a tobacco-free law that preserves ceremonial use while banning public smoking.
- Remote Aboriginal communities face high smoking rates, limited access to nicotine replacement therapy and entrenched social norms around sharing cigarettes.
- Misconceptions about tobacco, including beliefs around pregnancy and low birth weight, show the need for culturally appropriate health education.
“It's actually part of diminished choice, because it's an addictive tool to get your lips around the product and make money for an exploitative industry.”
What drives someone to seek a life without tobacco while still honouring culture? This conversation on All In The Mind brings together three First Nation leaders tackling that exact tension. The show looks at why smoking rates among Indigenous peoples remain stubbornly high, even as mainstream figures fall. Maori advocate Shane Bradbrook talks about framing tobacco as an obstacle to self-determination, not just a personal habit.
He highlights grim numbers for Maori communities, but also a small drop in smoking and the aim of a "vibrant" future without cigarettes. His campaigns call out the tobacco industry directly, including a bold move that forced Philip Morris to apologise for its "Maori mix" branding.
As Shane puts it, "It's actually part of diminished choice, because it's an addictive tool to get your lips around the product and make money for an exploitative industry." From Montana, Laurie Newbreast of the Blackfeet Nation explains how native tobacco is traditionally sacred, used under strict protocol as a bridge between human and spiritual worlds.
She contrasts that with commercial tobacco, describing her work as "untangling" the two and keeping tobacco sacred while confronting addiction and illness caused by manufactured products. Her community’s tobacco-free law bans smoking and spit tobacco in public spaces while protecting ceremonial use, and it’s echoing across Indian Country. Australian researcher Dallas Young adds another angle, describing tobacco’s history as rations in lieu of wages and its role as social glue in remote Aboriginal communities.
She outlines the heavy health burden, the lack of access to nicotine replacement therapy, and myths such as smoking during pregnancy to have a smaller baby. If you’re curious about how culture, politics and public health collide around tobacco, this conversation offers a clear, grounded look at the challenges and the sparks of change—what role might you play in shifting those patterns in your own community?
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