Nicotiana or tobacco was discovered, domesticated and smoked
Nicotiana or tobacco is the intoxicated plant preferred by humans with their most significant social and economic impact. They are native plants in the tropical and subtropical regions of South America. Perhaps it was forest fires that made the burning tobacco emit a captivating and exhilarating aroma, or perhaps our ancestors took a bite of their leaves. In any case, when Asian immigrants arrived in the Americas more than ten thousand years ago, they discovered the unique value of tobacco.
The earliest tobacco residues are seeds dating back to about 12,300 years ago found in the Great Salt Lake Desert in the United States. Archaeologists discovered a prehistoric hearth whose ashes contained four tobacco seeds and some bones of birds and mammals. At that time, this place was a lush verdant swamp with mammoths, moose, and wild ducks. Tobacco did not grow near the swamp but on a nearby hill. These tobacco seeds might have been the last meal of a bird, but they could also have been introduced by other human activities. Indigenous Americans were unlikely to use tobacco as fuel because almost all herbal plants burn quickly. Therefore, the only possibility is that tobacco might have been chewed, swallowed, and smoked by Native Americans. The seeds were stuck to fuzzy leaves and left in hearth.
Tobacco was domesticated in South America between 4000 and 6000 BC. Their leaves are larger and contain more nicotine than wild ancestors. The earliest pipe was found in mid-Columbia and Snake River region associated with the Tucannon Phase that was about 2500BC. However, no nicotine was detected in the pipe. American Indians might also smoke other psychedelic plants, such as salvia divinorum and datura. The earliest evidence of tobacco smoking was found in the Flint River site in north Alabama. Pipes containing nicotine were excavated in strata dating back to 1685-1530 BC. In the shallower strata, archaeologists found pipes, nicotine residues, and even tobacco leaves and seeds at many other sites. This indicates that tobacco had been integrated into society and culture at this stage. It is unlikely that there will be earlier evidence because wooden pipes or alkaloid residues would not have been preserved for so long.
Nicotiana or tobacco in social, religious contexts
A little of nicotine excite and alert people, but a large dose causes hallucinations, paralysis, and even death. This characteristic made domesticated tobacco actively participate in sacred religious ceremonies. The earliest evidence is murals in ancient temples in Central America around 1000 BC showing Maya priests smoking tobacco with pipes.
Priests would make followers drink some tobacco juice that would induce vomiting or even fainting to cleanse body and soul. They would light a bundle of tobacco before divination. Participants sat around the fire to inhale dense smoke which was regarded as a medium for communicating with deities. Some people also inhaled excessive nicotine through pipes and fell into an intoxicated and contemplative state. They believed that this was communicating with deities (in today’s perspective, this is hallucination and talking to oneself result from nicotine poisoning). The Maya believed that rain god Chaac would bestow blessings on humans after smoking. Therefore, they would hold solemn rain-making ceremonies during dry season. The priests lit tobacco and sent smoke towards the sky while chanting prayers for rain.
Smoking was also regarded as coming-of-age ceremony and social tools. Boys were not allowed to smoke before their voices changed; at most, they could only play with the smoke to mimic adult behavior. Children trying to smoke too early could damage their throats and vocal cords. Once their voices became deep, they were allowed to smoke, symbolizing their entry into adulthood. When two American indigenous people met on the road, they would often smoke together to express friendliness and chat before continuing their journeys. They would also gather around the campfire after dinner to smoke pipes and chat each other. Sometimes they would fall into a stupor as smoking too much.
Tobacco played an important role in religion, spirituality, and medicine, so it was regarded as a sacred plant grown by a prestigious few in some tribes. Every harvest, they would save seeds for the next year's cultivation. They believed that if the seeds, leaves, and flowers of their unique tobacco were lost, their tribe would disappear from the earth. These growers were believed to possess supernatural powers: bringing rain, dispelling plagues, controlling wind and even attracting prey to camp. However, joining this elite class was not easy. Candidates needed to pass a series of harsh tests to prove their qualifications. For example, candidates had to give up all their wealth and cut off some muscles to leave ugly scars.
In regions of the Americas where tobacco was consumed, the local tribes' lifestyles, beliefs and cultures were all built on it. The locals even used it as hard currency in barter trade.
Tobacco and Medicine
Native American shamans inhaled doses far greater than those for recreational purposes. They would feel nauseous, then vomit and become paralyzed, and finally faint. They wandered on the brink of death, experiencing wonderful supernatural visions where evil invaders were expelled, and the patient's soul was retrieved. Subsequently, the nicotine was metabolized, and they woke up from their stupor. They believed that only those who overcame the near-death state could cure and invigorate the patients. This religious ceremony was very dangerous. Native American shamans had to be very careful to ingest an appropriate amount of nicotine to avoid death.
Besides this unreliable application, tobacco also provided legitimate therapeutic effects. A small intake of nicotine in tobacco would stimulate the central nervous system, attention and alertness. At the same time, the brain would release dopamine to create a sense of pleasure to relieve anxiety and pain. Thus, tobacco was often used by American Indians to treat local pains such as toothaches. Because the leaves are rich in toxic alkaloids, especially the highly poisonous nicotine, some tribes would crush the leaves and apply them to wounds for sterilization and healing. Lice or other parasites would also be killed. Snakes would flee when they smelled the scent of tobacco juice. Lighting tobacco in orchards or cornfields could drive away pests. Tobacco was used as an emetic to help ancient people rapidly expel toxins in cases of food poisoning.