In 2014 my partner, David Lawless, was gifted Nicotiana rustica Tobacco seeds at a Sundance ceremony. The seeds were found preserved in an archaeological site and, when dated, were found to be approximately 1000 years old and still viable
I first started growing these seeds in 2015, on Vancouver Island, and this is the Tobacco I offered the Knowledge Holders who participated in this project. This is also the Tobacco I made my Tobacco prayer ties with for Hanblecheya Ceremony
It has been a tremendous joy learning to work with this sacred plant and, having nurtured these plants from seedlings, the process of gifting Tobacco Offerings has become even more meaningful to me
When we first moved to Prince George, I built a greenhouse to help offset the shorter growing season so I could continue to grow Tobacco. When it was time, I moved the plants into the garden and soon had a Tobacco jungle growing in the backyard
It was in the backyard, sitting among these Tobacco plants, where I did much of the writing for my Master's thesis
