Native Americans had five ancient ways of taking nicotine and tobacco: enema, chewing, drinking, snuffing, and smoking with pipes and cigars. Except for enema and drinking, they have been preserved by modern people. Chewing was accepted by all regions and tribes. North American Indians preferred pipes, while South American Indians liked to roll tobacco into cigars or cigarettes. In Central America, these methods occurred simultaneously.
Tobacco: Chewing, Drinking, and Enema
Chewing tobacco is the oldest and most direct method. Prehistoric Native Americans probably discovered tobacco in this way. The leaves were directly put into mouth and chewed. They could be fresh or dried. Some Native Americans also ground the dry leaves into powder and held it in their mouths. The psychoactive substances in tobacco mixed with saliva and entered bloodstream through oral mucosa or stomach and intestines. Similar to coca and betel nut, they usually mixed the leaves with plant ash or lime. Nicotine becomes more lipophilic or hydrophobic in alkaline conditions to cross oral mucosa quickly.
Another way of ingesting tobacco through digestive system was drinking. Dry leaves were soaked in hot water to dissolve nicotine and other alkaloids, or fresh leaves were crushed and mixed with water. Some tribes also added datura or other psychoactive plants and alkaline substances to promote nicotine absorption and enhance its hallucinogenic effects. Tobacco beverage was often used in religious ceremonies. Due to its high nicotine content, it could easily cause intense discomfort, including vomiting, paralysis, and even temporary near-death experiences. This could provide a supernatural illusion for communicating with the gods in religious rites. Tobacco beverage was added to plant starch, resin, alkali, and spices to make a thick syrup in some tribes. They were made into solid tobacco paste that was easy to preserve. Native Americans licked these concentrates.
Tobacco beverage could also be "drank" by enema. Hollow vines or bones were made into enema tools to inject tobacco beverage into the body through anus. Then, alkaloids were absorbed by intestinal mucosa. This method was used for both medical and spiritual purposes. This device is traced back to the tombs of shamans in Colombia around 500 AD.
Snuff
Sniffing tobacco (nasal snuff) was also very common in ancient America. Tobacco leaves were dried in the sun and ground into powder for easy inhalation. Snuff was mixed with other psychodelic plants or spices to enhance its flavor and effects. Native Americans invented various tools for snuff. The simplest one was a straw made of a hollow reed or bone. One end was inserted into a nostril, and the other end was in contact with snuff powder. Some tools were designed as Y-shaped straws. The upper end of Y was inserted into both nostrils at the same time, and the user sniffed snuff from the lower end. They could also have a companion blow snuff into their nose through a slender straw. Nicotine still entered bloodstream through mucous membrane in the nasal cavity.
Smoke Tobacco: Pipe and Cigar
Smoking was the most common way of consuming tobacco in South America because this method provided the quickest and strongest satisfaction. North American Indians usually used pipes to smoke. They harvested leaves in summer and dried them on the roof. The dry tobacco was put into small leather bags hanging around their necks. When they wanted to smoke, they took out stones they carried to grind the leaves into powder. Then, they were loaded into one end of the pipe to be lit by charcoal, and the other end was put into mouth. Tobacco was usually mixed with lime, dry weed, and maple leaves. In addition, Y-shaped straws were also suitable for smoking. The way smokers use a Y-pipe to smoke is similar to the way that snuff was sniffed.
South American Indians preferred to make tobacco into cigars or cigarettes. They rolled a whole dry leaf into a cylinder. Some spices, resins, and other hallucinogenic plants were also placed in the cylinder. The outside of cigar or cigarette was wrapped in a layer of palm leaves, corn husks, or reed stems. Smokers lit one end and inhaled smoke from the other end with their mouths. The smoke passed through mouth and lungs and then was exhaled from mouth or nose, dissipating into air. Smokers gain great satisfaction and their negative emotions are relieved. Sometimes they were poisoned, as they inhaled too much nicotine: they collapsed on the ground and fell into stupor. Besides recreation, cigarettes and cigars were also closely related to religions of Native Americans. Tobacco was a sacred plant that was used as a substance to change the spirit and mind in rites. Some people saw illusions and talked to themselves. In their view, smoking was a way to promote communication with gods and souls.