Sotoya Organic Tying Tobacco

For several years now (from the beginning as a matter of fact) we have spoken of the ceremonial heritage of tobacco and the obvious advantages of the use of tobacco within the restraints imposed by a higher regard for the plant and the amount consumed. Walking softly on the Earth entails using its treasures in wise measure, whether its tobacco or petroleum. Again we urge you to read the book, "Tobacco - A Cultural History of How an Exotic Plant Seduced Civilization." You will gain incredible insight into all aspects of tobacco usage, past, present, and future. During our six years in existence, we have met a large number of Indian and others folks who historically and currently treat tobacco with the care, moderation and reverence it deserves. In Indian cultures, tobacco was seldom abused. In fact, any sacrilegious use of the plant was consider a high offense. There are many entities who grow, harvest, process, cure, and sell tobacco. Some are extremely conscientious about the endeavor, some have no more feeling for tobacco than some used car salesman have for the cars they sell. These less than "connected" tobacco people are fortunately, fairly rare. What you find as you get to know this industry (this industry, once again being tobacco - not cigarette makers) is that most of its principals, including growers and leaf cutters as well as most reputable manufacturers, take great pride in their products - and not the kind of pride that is solely expressed in terms of a bank account. The Stokkebye's, Ryan's, and a small handful of others we choose to mention in these pages, really have had a highly personal relationship with their products.

   There are others who have even a more ceremonial attachment and among those are Native Americans (Indian is the term preferred by most we've spoken with) who cultivate tobacco and have done so for centuries, well before the white man came to North and South America. Though relatively few in number, there are some that really stand out. One is the Sotoya Ceremonial Tobacco Company. You can read about their operation and philosophy at www.sotoyatobacco.com. Now these are not Indian Rez cigarette sellers. These are tobacco people, pure and simple, and are masters in the art of cultivation. They have nurtured USDA certified Organic plots and create pure organic tobacco, using experience gained over many, many generations.

  Sotoya is one of about 20 groups or so that participate with Santa Fe Tobacco (American Spirit) to provide tobacco for Santa Fe's Organic blend. Sun Butler of Sotoya works with other growers to help them with the USDA certification process for organic standard qualifications. More importantly Sun has a reverence for tobacco that is truly inspiring. We speak frequently and he has taught me much. Sotoya has a number of interesting products they produce, both for wholesale and retail. Many are decorative by design such as their "Decorative Hands" (hands is a term you will hear a lot in the next few paragraphs and it is basically defined as a gathering of whole tobacco leaves into a bundle for either shipping or storage, usually weighing 3/4 to 1 lb., sometimes even more). Though other tobacco producers provide "hands" for sale on occasion, Sotoya's Decorative hands differ in so far as they are specifically designed to be displayed. Even though the tobacco itself in the oval shaped decorative hand shown may not be the point of the purchase, it is nonetheless quite good tobacco. A pure flue cured Virginia. But it is so pretty that I'm going to apply a fastener (or Varathane) to preserve it. I first pinched a little of the tobacco from the side that won't show to verity its taste (very nice), but this "hand" is bound for a frame or wall hanging. If I still had the experimental tobacco store, this art object would have found a prominent place on the wall. Probably several. Beats the hell out of a cigar store Indian, which pisses everyone off.

   As I said there are other hands we have received and they are all beautiful. At left the Sotoya is flanked by a flue cured and a dark fired hand from Mark's Perique partner, Steve Coley. Notice the oily sheen of the dark fired and the rich tanned character of the flue cure at lower left. Absolutely beautiful.  However, the width of the Sotoya hand makes it ideal for display. And there are other Sotoya products that are of equal interest. For instance, they supply braided tobacco for Indian ceremonies nationwide as well as other more esoteric blends or parts of the tobacco plant. The graphic at right shows some of these various items. The tobacco "flowers" are a particular mild smoke, whereas the N. rustica is pure and potent "Indian" tobacco. Both are used preferably in a pipe. The Brick or "Plug" you see is the cake formed by compressing the tobacco in a press so that it can be subsequently cut. Using a sharp knife or serrated blade, you can saw the properly moistened cake into strands of tobacco ideal for rolling or injecting.

   Perhaps the most interesting/important aspect of all of this is that it should put you in touch with the possibility and the fact that tobacco is an easily grown plant, and moreover, is a "crop" that anyone could create in their own growing space. While there are flavoring and other curing techniques that will make home grown tobacco taste more like commercially manufactured blends, every American has the right to grow tobacco for their own consumption. You may not be able to easily accomplish the intricate hand tying techniques as shown at right, but the finished product can still be unbelievably attractive and delicious if you learn your stuff. And if the governmental controls and the anti-smoking regulations and taxation continue to escalate, this is an art that might be a good idea to learn.

Sotoya Ceremonial Tobacco Company
2014 Redlawn Road
Boydton, Va. 23917

Wholesale Orders 434.738.6306

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© 2003 All Rights Reserved ~ Sotoya Ceremonial Tobacco Company ~ Last Updated August 22nd 2005