Detroit Tobacco History
Native Detroit Tobacco History
Long before Detroit became an industrial city, this land was home to the Anishinaabe peoples — the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi — who lived along the river that shaped the region.
The river was a lifeline, carrying people, trade, ceremony, and stories. Identity was rooted in relationship — to land, water, and community — not race.
Tobacco, known as asemaa, was sacred. It was used intentionally, offered with care as a way to carry prayers and show respect.
It was never casual or recreational.