Beishigo Asemaa

For centuries before the arrival of Europeans, Ojibwe, Lakota and Dakota people used tobacco, in the form of kinnikinnik or chanshasha in ceremonies to carry prayers to the Creator.

Sacred Tobacco

Tobacco has a special place in the lives of Ojibwe people. The Ojibwe word for tobacco is Asemaa. Our relationship with tobacco has changed dramatically over time, especially in the last 100 years.

Tobacco: A Gift from the Creator

Jimmy Jackson, a medicine man, reminds us of the Creator's instructions:

  • “When you want to speak to me, when you want me to listen to you, use this.”

  • Asemaa was the first gift given to Native people.

  • Tobacco connects us to the Creator through prayer and ceremony.

  • Asemaa travels through four levels before reaching the Creator.

Instructions Given to Us

  • Each morning, we place an offering of tobacco, thanking the Creator for everything we’ve been given, for each day.

  • We use tobacco in ceremony, we make tobacco ties.

  • We use tobacco in a pipe (we don’t inhale the smoke), and the smoke travels to give messages to the Creator.

  • We are also instructed to put Asemaa in the water.