Tobacco

Tobacco, also known as Uppoc by the Native Americans of Virginia in the 16th Century, is a plant that is commonly dried and smoked. According to Hariot, the name "tobacco" was popularised by the Spanish, and that there were many names for it in use during his lifetime. Hariot, T. (1588). A Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia
== Use ==
According to Hariot, the tobacco leaves would be dried and powdered before they were used. It would be burned in a clay pipe, and the smoke breathed in. 
Hariot says that, during the time he was writing, smoking tobacco was believed to remove excess phlegm from the body, as well as excess humours. He also claimed it could open all the body's pores and passages to not only preserve a state of good health, but also cure the body of non-chronic conditions. In the modern times, we know smoking tobacco to be one of the leading causes of avoidable death, and Hariot's claims about its medical properties should be ignored.
== Beliefs ==
According to Hariot, the Native Americans of Virginia believed that their gods favoured the plant, leading to them occasionally throwing powdered tobacco onto fires as a sacrifice to them. Furthermore, if they were on a boat during a storm, they would throw some into the air and water in an attempt to pacify the relevant gods. They would also throw some into the air as part of a prayer for good fortune after setting up a fishing weare, and also to give thanks when they escaped danger. The throwing of tobacco would often be accompanied by strange gestures, stamping, dancing, clapping, holding up their hands to the sky, staring at the sky, or chanting. 
== References ==
Category:A Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia
Category:Materials