Healing Through Culture

Overview:
Culture is medicine. Reclaiming and revitalizing traditional practices helps strengthen identity, build community, and support healing from historical and ongoing trauma.

This section honors how California Native peoples use song, language, ceremony, plant medicine, storytelling, and other cultural traditions as powerful tools for wellness. These living practices reconnect individuals and families to their roots and promote resilience across generations.

Explore:

The difference between traditional and commercial tobacco
Stories of cultural revitalization and wellness
Videos and photovoice projects from youth and elders
Tools for incorporating cultural knowledge into prevention and healing programs

“When we use traditional tobacco in a good way, we are restoring balance to ourselves and our communities.”

Additional Culturally Relevant Resources:

Culturally‑Tailored Smoking Cessation for American Indians
A controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a culturally rooted cessation program. Read more on PMC and view detailed outcomes on NIH RePORTER.
Montana Photovoice Toolkit
A practical guide for youth-led engagement and community advocacy using Photovoice. Available from Montana DPHHS itcmi.org+6m.facebook.com+6instagram.com+6 countertobacco.org+10dphhs.mt.gov+10pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov+10.
SmokefreeNATIVE
A culturally tailored text‑based cessation program by NCI and IHS, built specifically for Native communities. Learn more on gov

Federal Tobacco 21: Considerations for Tribal Communities
https://www.publichealthlawcenter.org/webinar/federal-tobacco-21-considerations-tribal-communities

Reclaiming Sacred Tobacco in Minnesota’s Indigenous Communities

Traditional Tobacco and American Indian Communities in Minnesota
https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/tobacco/traditional/index.html