"When a man is travelling on the trails, and has strong tobacco with him, he thinks so much he is a man, he feels high up… Whenever he meets a man, he has to smoke before he travels. He thinks: “I am going to treat him before we travel.” He thinks: “I am a man” when he does that. When two men first meet on the trail, then one of the men always says “Let’s sit down.” Then they always sit down, they rest. Then one of them takes out his pipe. “Friend, let’s smoke.” Then he lights his pipe. Then he smokes, he himself smokes first. All do that way, smoke first before they pass it. Then he passes it to that one he has met. Then he smokes in turn, he is being treated. He smokes in turn the same pipe. Then they finish smoking. Then the other one in turn takes out his pipe. He treats him back, the one who has treated him. He says to him in turn: “You would better smoke my tobacco.” He says: “Friend, I am going to treat you back.” Then he smokes it himself first. He does the same way, smokes first. Then he says: Well, friend, your tobacco is strong.” Then the other says: “Well, friend, no.” He denies it. He kind of smiles as he says “Well, friend, no.” Then they are through smoking. He gives back the other fellow’s pipe. He can hardly put it back in the sack, his hand trembles. His tobacco is so strong. He is tasting it yet in his mouth. It takes them a long while to smoke. It takes them a long time to finish. Then they say: “All right, let’s travel, and I am going to travel, too. Then, friend, goodbye.”
From: J. Harrington, 1932. Tobacco Smoking among the Karuk Indians of California. Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of America Ethnology Bulletin 94. Washington D.C.: GPO.
