Tribal health experts gather to uplift traditional tobacco and confront commercial tobacco

Traditional tobacco is at the core of many Native American cultural and spiritual practices. But commercial tobacco, packaged in cigarettes or vapes, contributes to higher rates of lung cancer among Native Americans.Many of the people working with these two sides of tobacco are in Minneapolis for the National Tribal Tobacco Conference, held Tuesday and Wednesday on the University of Minnesota campus. Mat Pendleton, otherwise known by his Dakota name Wakiyan Waste', is an enrolled member of Lower Sioux Indian Community and led prayer at the conference. Colin Welker works on commercial tobacco policy with the Public Health Law Center at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law and is presenting at the conference. They both joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about their work at the conference.