PEMBROKE — Lumbee leaders want to stub out any idea that the tribe has ties to a new cigarette that bears its name.

Lumbee cigarettes have been available in Robeson County stores since December.

Tribal leaders say they don’t like it, but they haven’t figured out if they can do anything to stop the company from using the tribe’s name.

What the tribe can do is get the word out that Lumbees don’t have anything to do with the menthol cigarettes. They don’t want anyone buying the smokes thinking they are supporting the tribe.

Tribal members have inquired about the association of the cigarette brand with the Lumbee tribe, said Tribal Chairman Jimmy Goins.

“At this time, the Lumbee tribe is reviewing all avenues available to protect the name, identity and history of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina,” Goins said.

The Lumbee cigarettes have been sold in 35 stores in Robeson County and are available in Scotland and Hoke counties as well. Coastal Distributing, a company based in Rockingham, markets the cigarettes. They are made in South America.

Wayne Moss, president of Coastal Distributing, said he applied for the Lumbee trademark in September 2006.

“The reason that I decided to use the name Lumbee is because a lot of Indian-related names are in the market now … and I felt that Lumbee would be a good name for this part of the country,” he said.

He said he figured with the tribe’s effort to gain federal recognition “any way the name Lumbee could come up would be a plus for their campaign.”

The company offered to give a portion of sales to the tribe to use for legal expenses toward federal recognition, Moss said.

He approached the tribe about his marketing plan for the cigarettes last year.

“He wanted to ensure that the Lumbee culture would not be offended by use of the symbols he chose for his brand,” said Ed Brooks, the tribe’s lawyer.

The cigarette’s package features an Indian standing in front of a winding river.

Moss said he met with three tribal leaders and they had no objections to his plan. But when they discussed the plan with the tribe’s lawyer, tribal officials discovered that a program promoting tobacco prevention would conflict with any endorsement of the Lumbee cigarettes.

The tribe receives about $300,000 from the North Carolina Health Wellness Trust Fund to promote only cultural uses for tobacco. Tobacco traditionally was used to honor individuals and is used at pow wows and other ceremonies. It is also used in some traditional medicines.

“We understood the conflict and agreed that we would not be associated in any way with the tribe,” Moss said. “I still plan to contact members of Congress in an effort to support the tribe’s quest for recognition and federal benefits. I think it is something that would benefit every resident of southeastern North Carolina.”

Tribal leaders say they are concerned about the health risk associated with smoking. American Indians have the highest rates of smoking among North Carolina’s racial and ethnic groups, according to the North Carolina Center for Health Statistics.

Staff writer Venita Jenkins can be reached at jenkinsv@fayobserver.com or (910)738-9158.