Use of tobacco among North American Indians

The pamphlet surveys indigenous tobacco in North America, arguing it originated in the New World and detailing archaeological evidence and early European reports. It describes regional practices—smoking as widespread, chewing or oral pellets mixed with lime on the northwest and Andean coasts—and explains species diversity and geographic ranges (including N. tabacum, N. rustica, N. attenuata, and related western species). The narrative examines cultivation and processing methods used by different tribes, such as prepared beds, planting in ash, and distinct sanitary or ritual restrictions, and highlights tobacco's role in ceremonial and social contexts while noting how European habits both adopted and diverged from indigenous uses.