The National Congress of American Indians describes the essence of Tribal sovereignty as the ability to govern and to protect the health, safety, and welfare of Tribal citizens within Tribal territories. [...] One of the most devastating policies of cultural genocide was the Civilization Fund Act of 1819, whose stated purpose was “guarding against the further decline and the final extinction of the Indian Tribes…”25 The Civilization Fund Act aimed to “civilize” native people, ultimately leading to the residential boarding school era where native children were stripped of their identity, culture, and cus. [...] Tobacco industry documents dating back to the 1980s reveal a strategy to take advantage of tribal sovereignty by reducing prices and promoting and saturating Tribal casinos with commercial tobacco products.37 One of the most blatant ways the industry markets to Tribal populations is to exploit Native imagery to sell commercial tobacco products. [...] A successful example of this is the American Indian Quitline developed with Tribal communities and the Minnesota Department of Health.56 The Quitline offers up to ten calls providing tailored cessation services with a team of American Indian coaches who understand the culture and traditions of the community. [...] The Center would like to acknowledge the support of the Tribal Community Coordinating Center, the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Epidemiology Center, and the Center’s Tribal Consultant, Olin Jones, in the preparation of this resource.
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- United States of America
