Native Cigarettes at the end of a narrow driveway, the factory is easy to miss. Yet it is the controversial new lifeblood of Kahnawake Mohawk territory — and, arguably, a dire threat to Canadian public health. Inside, workers produce Native Cigarettes, the indigenous version of the nation’s most popular cigarette. This native-branded product has slowed the decline in smoking rates and sucked $2 billion annually into First Nations bank accounts, critics say.

Its ad campaigns have misappropriated indigenous culture and reinforced harmful stereotypes, especially for American Indians, according to a recent study on Native advertising by University of Minnesota researchers. The study found that while most people who used the cigarettes understood that the images were not American Indian, they still perceived the products as a form of cultural misappropriation.

Native Cigarettes: Bridging Past and Present in Smoking Culture

Smoking rates among American Indians are the highest of any racial/ethnic group in the United States, with high rates of cardiovascular disease and lung cancer. Several studies suggest that this high rate is tied to the availability and affordability of commercial tobacco, as well as a lack of awareness about the risks associated with smoking.

A survey of 555 Web sites selling American Indian-branded cigarettes showed that 77% are owned by individuals, rather than tribal entities. The Web sites sell cigarettes shipped from tribal land without paying sales or excise taxes, and most do not post the U.S. surgeon general’s warning on the health risks of smoking.