Odamô – Dawnland Tobacco

Not much is known about the Dawnland Tobacco cultivar, except that it was grown by the Dawnland Center of Montpelier, VT in the late 20th century. Seed was given to the Intervale Center before the demise of the Dawnland Center -- where it was then preserved for posterity. Dawnland Tobacco is much smaller than the typical,  rustica-type tobacco from Connecticut that is commonly grown as the sacred pipe tobacco used by most VT Abenaki tribes. The fact that it is smaller may indicate an ancient adaptation to the more northern Vermont climate, pointing to local origins, but that is speculation at this point. However, the Dawnland variety is now being used in ceremony along with the Connecticut variety. (Vermont Indigenous Heritage Center Publication 2020)

I was given seeds to grow Dawnland tobacco about five years ago.  Each year I plant and nuture the tobacco plants in my care, until they are ready to be harvested.  I was taught that the whole plant is gently removed from the ground and the soil is removed from the roots.  The tobacco plant is then hung upside down to dry and cure.  The idea is that the medicine will settle into the leaves as they dry.  After the leaves have fully dried, I carefully harvest them from the plant and save the seeds as well.  The tobacco I grow is very sacred to me.  I use it in ceremony, as an offering, and to be smoked in my pipe.