History

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples suffer disproportionately to the broader Australian population from tobacco related health conditions.

The high prevalence and normalisation of tobacco use is at least partially attributable to the process of colonisation, and the subsequent low socioeconomic status of Indigenous Australians.

For instance:

• Aboriginal people chewed the dry leaves of pituri (Duboisia hopwoodii) and native tobacco such as Nicotania gossei prior to contact with non-Aboriginal people [1]. Some Aboriginal people continue to use pituri and native tobaccos.
• Macassan fishermen and trepangers introduced tobacco into northern Australia approximately 400 years ago [2]. People in Northern Australia continue to use Macassan style pipes and tobacco still plays a role in traditional ceremonies.
• The process of colonisation of Australia meant that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people came into contact with tobacco through missionaries, miners, fishermen, anthropologists, and cattle station workers. Until they obtained Australian citizenship in 1967, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were confined in missions or worked on cattle stations and were given rations, including tobacco, in exchange for their labour and for attending church-for living a "civilised" lifestyle [3].

A comparison of other Indigenous people worldwide, particularly those who have been colonised (for example New Zealand Maori, [4] native Canadians, [5] and Native Americans), indicates that the prevalence of tobacco use is higher among these population groups than for non-indigenous people in these countries. This is also the case for Indigenous Australians with more than half the population of indigenous people over the age of 15 years smoking [6]. By comparison, in 2001 19% of the non-indigenous population were smokers [7].

Also see our sections on Incidence, Prevalence and Mortality in Australia and the States and Territories.