What gift for native American elder

Welcome to the cities of Plymouth Minnesota

http://www.plymouthmn.gov/

New Port Richey Florida

http://www.cityofnewportrichey.org/

To my posting about gifting, this time the question is a memorable one asked often about gifting to an elder.

To my blogs

http://mysmudgingblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/native-american-gifting-tobacco-to_14.html

and

https://sachemspeaks.wordpress.com/2011/06/14/native-american-gifting-tobacco-to-an-elder/

This question I am pleased to say, as with most of my postings and websites, cannot be asked too many times, because the more it is asked the more often it gets out on the internet for all to see and/or challenge.

Also, the question is a good one and the answer is a simple one because simplicity is the name of the game while writing about the truth?

As with all of my writings about our tobacco, I start with this.

First thing to remember about our tobacco, it was, it is, and should always be, herbs (Kinnick Kinnick) not a chemical treated cigarettes!

While offering a cigarette, please remember, it is an insult to a Traditional if that person is a Non Smoker!

A person handing this herb will usually have it wrapped in something for a convenience to the elder, not always but, if it is wrapped, red would be the preferred color of the wrap.

(RED IS THE COLOR of the HEART BLOOD).

Also, by using your left hand to his/her left hand, shows true respect and knowledge to the elder.

Each time a native person uses a traditional elder way an ancestor sheds a tear of joy.

Quit smoking?

To my new friend that wishes to quit smoking? I smoked around 3 packs a day until 1986, yes, I quit a thousand times, not good enough! One day my union offered me free nicotine patches to help me quit, so I took them up on it.  The patches soon gave me a real bad rash, skin broke out, (Native Americans are allergic to chemicals) so I stopped the patches. However, I did everything else  that the little booklet told me to do as in picking a date in my future to quit (just a few days) and dump all smokes! If you stick with this you may find as I did that it really is not that hard even for us cowards? Most of the smoking is in the head not in the mind or the heart, hope that this helps? Creator (GOD) Bless, give this an honest try?

Can one use Kinnick, Kinnick if tobacco is mixed in?

Welcome to Bayville New Jersey

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayville,_New_Jersey

Looking for information about Native American Kinnick, Kinnick

The question was

can you use kenick for ceremony if tobacco is mixed in

Yes, tobacco without chemicals is a very important part of herbs used in this mixture by my people and yours that makes up what we, the natives call Kinnick, Kinnick.

This said please do not get hung up on any type of herb, tobacco is an herb, that you will be using the only thing to remember about tobacco, herbs, ceremonies and our culture in general is that they are all meant to remind us to get into prayer with our Creator!

None of the about is demanded or required just remember to talk often to Creator, AHO (Amen)!

Herbs are Tobacco, Sweet grass, Sage, Herbs and NOT Cigarettes!

http://mysmudgingblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/tobacco-sweet-grass-sage-herbs-and.html

How is tobacco wrapped when presenting to an elder

Welcome to Powell Ohio

http://www.cityofpowell.us/

Ohio is the land of the Shawnee people.
Bing.com: how is tobacco wrapped when presenting to an elder
Your question is a good one however, search has taken you to a site that does not answer your question totally.
how is tobacco wrapped when presenting to an elder

https://sachemspeaks.wordpress.com/2011/06/14/native-american-gifting-tobacco-to-an-elder/

As long as it is Herbs such as Kinnick-Kinnick it can be wrapped (Red Cloth) or freely given, not a Cigarette or Cigar!
When walking up to this elder, assuming your elder is a traditionalist, please make sure that this elder knows that you are coming, be respectful, show your herbs in your left hand, ( no need to be over the top, just make sure that the elder knows what you are about to do) then reach out with the tobacco while still in your left hand to the elders left hand.
Explain the purpose for the tobacco.
Once again being respectful back away a few steps and be on your way with the full knowledge that Creator is smiling on you while on your journey!
Red represents your mother, Mother Earth.

Why are cigarettes offered at a Native American funeral?

Smoking a cigarette, like smallpox blankets, Jails (Reservations), and whisky, has always been a European form of annihilation of our people.
At no time before first contact, did indigenous people smoke a chemical cigarette!
Yes, it is true that many people call what we do while at a pipe ceremony “smoking a pipe” however, inside of this pipe, if one is a traditionalist, is very strong herbs (Kinnick, Kinnick) so we would not inhale that smoke!

https://sachemspeaks.wordpress.com/2012/09/21/eastern-woodland-tobacco-is-still-herbs-kinnick-kinnick/

So, what makes one think that they were passed around at our ceremonies?
Passing around chemical type cigarette’s is the true oxymoron!
Death from a cigarette!
My ancestors were simple common sense people.
Their tobacco was grown without chemicals, the ancestors did not need them!
Today our elders know that cigarettes cause cancer, even if they smoke, someone that they know and love has died a horrible death from this cancer.
Please do not insult them by an offering of a cancer causing cigarette.
Will you please use Kinnick~ Kinnick (herbs)?

Eastern Woodland Tobacco is still Herbs (Kinnick-Kinnick)!

While trying to get information across country making ready for another sacred ceremony it became clear just how hard this is getting to be.
The traditionalists must be very careful about what they say, do and write because there are copycat phonies everywhere they go just waiting to pounce on anything that they believe can make a buck off the unknowing public.
For instance, in the early 1980’s when someone said ” O.K. so you cannot take money, what can you take to thank you for your work in my ceremony”?
The answer was, ” A Spiritual Teacher (Leader) can always use Tobacco because a good teacher is always busy and at each meeting, gathering or ceremony they use a lot of tobacco”.
So, throughout the 80’s and 90’s phony native teachers would hand out and except a pack of cigarettes as payment for services.
If you wish to give a cigarette or two to a known smoker, this is between you and that smoker.
If you wish to gift a Spiritual Teacher for any reason, please do not hand over a cancer stick.
Traditionalist do teach many ceremonies like naming, weddings, funerals and adoptions however, as with the cigarettes, copycat phonies jumped on this also.
Now at many gatherings and/or powwows you might hear, ” I just got my Indian name” or “I was just adopted by so and so”!
NOT SO!
It takes weeks, months and sometimes years for most of these ceremonies when done correctly!
If money or goods of any kind other then herb changed hands, you have been duped by one of these phonies!

Tobacco as a gift.

Tobacco as a gift.

The question being asked the
most today is still about tobacco, so we, the Native Americans answering that
question are still not answering it well enough?

Tobacco used by my
ancestors, Traditional Native Americans from New England was not Cigarettes, it
was, it is, and should always be herbs found or grown by the Tribal Clan
Grandmother with help from the Tribal Clan Mothers.

These herbs are called
Kinnick. Kinnick ( our native word for tobacco).

This tobacco is used for
anything sacred like, prayer, ceremonies like naming, funeral’s, weddings,
powwows, gatherings, pot luck, paw, paus and so on., gifting, cleansing us and
the area around us.

I have many blogs and
websites about our tobacco however, if my answers leaves you with more questions
please Email me at sachemuncas at centurylink.net ( It is written this way to
spoil spammers spiders.

http://mysmudgingblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/tobacco-as-traditional-native-american.html

http://home.earthlink.net/~sachemuncas/powwows/id9.html

http://mysmudgingblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/native-american-gifting-tobacco-to_14.html

https://sachemspeaks.wordpress.com/2011/07/02/kinnick-kinnick/

http://mysmudgingblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/native-american-gift-giving.html

http://mysmudgingblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/tobacco-sweet-grass-sage-herbs-and.html

http://mysmudgingblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/adoption-into-tribe.html

http://mysmudgingblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/naming-ceremony-protocol.html

Just to name a few.

Tobacco, Sweet grass, Sage, Herbs and Cigarettes!

I have a tracker on my websites, not to be nosy, merely because I want to keep track of what people wish to get information about!

Native American Herbs and Tobacco is still the number one question out on the Internet!

As with Native American names, one should never have to pay for any Sacred Herb!

Herbs not previously blessed from Creator are not Sacred.

If you do not know how to get a name or herbs that have been blessed correctly, never sell a name or herbs! Creator is watching!

Only Creator can Bless a name or herbs, or anything else for that matter.

Back before first contact Traditional Native American Tobacco was not ever used for smoking, Period!

This tobacco was much, much to strong for smoking!

The Europeans mixed chemicals into tobacco making it smooth enough to get hooked on!

The only exception was in our Friendship pipe, this would show a true interest about the making of friends, even then it was not inhaled!

Native American Tobacco has many uses however, all of these uses are for the good of the people, never for harm as with smoking!