American Indian
Tobacco Education Network
AITEN
Working To Keep
Tobacco Sacred
A Program of the California Rural Indian
Health Board, Inc.
Our Mission
American Indian Tobacco Education Network's (AITEN) mission is to promote, support, and protect the health, traditions, and cultural values of American Indians as they relate to sacred tobacco use and to commercial tobacco abuse.
Who We Are
AITEN consists of dedicated people and agencies in California who seek to enhance the general health, as it relates to tobacco, of American Indians. We urge American Indian people and communities to recommit to the traditional sacred use of tobacco, while investigating addictions to commercial tobacco and the harm it causes American Indian people.
What We Do
Counter Pro-Tobacco Influences
Conduct an educational campaign in efforts to discontinue the marketing and selling of commercial tobacco products which manipulate Indian culture for profit.
Assist communities to mobilize to prohibit and/or eliminate tobacco products and promotions, and to address tobacco companies misuse of American Indian icons and exploit the sacred purpose of tobacco.
Identify businesses in Northern, Central and Southern California and encourage them to reduce the offensive public display of commercial tobacco advertisement, which misuses American Indian icons and symbols.
Develop educational presentations and media materials through the Countering Commercial Tobacco Committee (CCTC), an AITEN subcommittee to counter pro-tobacco influences that misrepresent American Indians.
Environmental Tobacco Smoke
Conduct an advocacy campaign to persuade Indian casinos in California that are affiliated with the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA), to institute Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS), or second hand smoke policies aimed at indoor smoking.
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AITEN is working to increase organizational policies that address Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) exposure within all 109 federally recognized American Indian tribal communities in California.
Continue mobilization efforts with American Indian communities in both rural and urban areas to assist them in establishing at least one policy change that addresses ETS policies.
Develop educational materials and promotional items that advertise the California Smokers' Helpline.
Mini-Grants
Funding of up to $5,000 per grantee is distributed through the AITEN Mini-Grant Program to enhance and provide support to local and statewide tobacco education efforts in American Indian communities, and to increase the commitment and capacity of applicant organizations in their tobacco education efforts. AITEN encourages American Indian communities to be innovative in developing strategies that best reach their members, and to promote the AITEN mission of respecting the sacred use of tobacco and discouraging commercial tobacco abuse.
2002 Deadlines
March 15
April 19
May 17
June 21
July 19
August 16
September 20
October 18
o No applications accepted after October 18, 2002 and all programs must end before December 1, 2002.
o Deadline for all final reports is December 1, 2002 (submission of final report and receipts).
2003 Deadlines
January 17
February 21
March 21
April 18
May 16
June 20
July 18
August 15
September 19
October 17
o No applications accepted after October 17, 2003 and all programs must end before December 1, 2003.
o Deadline for all final reports is December 1, 2003 (submission of final report and receipts).
Policies
AITEN is available to provide technical assistance to tribes, communities and agencies that serve American Indians and want to develop tobacco policies.
Did You Know?
For thousands of years, tobacco has had a sacred purpose with many American Indian tribes. It is used for prayer, to show respect, to heal, and give spiritual protection.
Tobacco was never meant to be abused. Sacred use of tobacco does not include the use of commercial tobacco products.
Smoking one or two cigarettes a day is "abuse" and harmful to your health.
American Indians in California smoke and chew commercial tobacco twice as much as other Californians. (1)
40% of American Indian deaths in California are related to commercial tobacco abuse. (2)
Native tobacco and its smoke are effective for curing a number of ailments, including: muscle aches, ear aches, soothes swelling, skin infections, and tooth aches. (3)
1. Hodge, F.S. Prevalence of Smoking/Smokeless Tobacco Use In 18 Northern California American Indian Health Clinics, Volume A, American Indian Cancer Control Project, Berkeley, CA 1994
2. Hodge, F.S., It's Your Life-It's Our Future Stop Smoking Project: A Report ot American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities. National Cancer Institute; 1999: 72.
3. Teach Children to Respect Beliefs about Traditional Tobacco Use, AITEN, 2000.
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AITEN
Advisory Committee
The AC Membership is composed of individuals representing the northern, central, and southern regions of California. With their dedication and support along with AITEN, we are able to plan, develop, conduct, and coordinate tobacco education interventions in each of AITEN's priority areas. More specifically to address the various components in the work plan there are seven subcommittees in the areas of Culture and Education, Countering, Casino, Media, Mini-Grant, Policy, and Youth.
First Row: Raychel Tracy, Radley Davis, Charlie Toledo, Ione Star, Jane
Dumas, Virgil Lewis
Second Row: Lucy McKay, Adelina Osario, Juana Brown,
Becky Cuthill, Claradina Toya, Phil Hunter, Kathleen Jack, Vlayn McCovey, Liz Lara
Third Row: Michael Weahkee, Raul Salazar, Bill Leonard,
Mark LeBeau, Judy Strang, Lucinda Albers, John James, Kelli Hubbard
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