Mr. Craig Silas

Tule River youth shares his thoughts on culture and tobacco

Tell me a little about yourself.
My name is Craig Joseph Silas. I'm from the Tule River Yokuts Tribe, Hopi Tribe, and Mountain Ute. My mom is Amanda Gibson, and my dad is Euristal Silas. I am 11 years old, and I am in fifth grade. I like to sometimes draw, play video games, go fishing, and mess around with my feathers that I have at home. I pin them up inside a bundle, and then I either hang them up or I have this one big eagle tip feather, put a bunch of plumes all around it. Then I tie it up with sinew so it could hang on our living room. My dad taught me how to work with feathers. He gives me feathers when we find some. We go hiking up in the mountains and I usually watch him. So, then I try to do what he does and if I mess up, I just keep trying until I get it. These are some of our traditions from my tribe.

You attended a Red Medicine traditional tobacco workshop in November. Can you share what you remember and one new thing that you learned?
I was thinking that's pretty cool and how back then they [AIAN] used to use tobacco stuff because we use it so spiritually, and we're so close to the earth with tobacco. People think, “oh, it's weird how they do that.” But I think it's our tradition. We keep that, and that's how we are to the Earth…It was cool. I liked how you did it.

Can you tell me one-way Native Americans use traditional tobacco?
From going to the Tule River elders gathering, I learned how to pray with it. Before that, my dad gave me some tobacco and I prayed with it with him. I have bear root, cedar, and sage with me too. We use it in a good way because we connect ourselves with it a lot. When we pray with it, we're praying to the creator. And when the creator hears what we're praying with, he might answer what you're praying with…Make him better in life. Make better decisions.

What do you think about commercial tobacco?
I don't think that's good because we're so spiritually intact with it…Vapes are bad for you because they have lead. It goes into your lungs… All the fake commercial tobacco that they bring in saying it's true native tobacco and saying all that stuff is Native American. I don't like how they do that.

Do you think any kids your age, friends, or peers know about commercial tobacco or vaping?
I think they know about vaping. My school talks a lot about vaping. Vaping is a bad thing. They teach us the dangers. But if my friends ever do it, I'll tell them to stop doing that. It's bad for you. I'd either take it or throw it away because I don't want my friends to hurt like that. If I see them trying to light cigarettes and trying to smoke, I would just tell them, don't do that. That hurts your lungs. You might die from it. You get lung cancer from that. Either way, don't be messing with that stuff. That stuff will hurt you…

Is there any thoughts that you would like to share with your community?
I just want to teach the young generation of Native Americans because we're losing all our songs. Just keep teaching them all around, pass them down. I know some kids don't like learning them, but [if we don't learn them] one day they're all going to be gone. No one's going to remember them, and no one's going to learn, and no one will know the songs.

Mr. Silas's interview is shared courtesy of the Red Medicine Project. TRDRP is honored to amplify the voices of members of communities who are disproportionately impacted by commercial tobacco in California. The views expressed by these individuals are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of California, nor of TRDRP.

Boy with dark hair standing next to an illustration of a tobacco plant