For the 2003-2004 school year, data on the lifetime and daily prevalence rates for the use of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco for Indian and non-Indian 8th, 10th, and 12th graders showed that for each of these grades the use of both types of tobacco was significantly higher for Indian youth. Further, all three grade comparisons indicated significantly fewer Indian youth believed that regular cigarette use causes a lot of harm. An assessment of trends in tobacco use for 7th-12th grade Indian youth over the years 1993 to 2004 indicates increasing cigarette use through the 1990s followed by a substantial reduction in use since that time; the same was true for the use of smokeless tobacco. Currently, there is no obvious explanation for these findings; however, it is apparent that major changes in the social environment of youth are impacting tobacco use. For Indian youth, both boys and girls exhibited the upward and then downward trend for lifetime prevalence and daily use of cigarettes. Despite the recent decreases in tobacco use by Indian youth, it is clearly a more serious health issue for Indian adolescents than for non-Indian youth. Reduction in tobacco use most likely will come with alleviation of the distinctive systemic factors that adversely impact Indian youth. Study data came from an ongoing surveillance project that examines substance use among Indian youth. Data for non-Indian youth came from the Monitoring the Future Project for the years 1993 to 2004. Sample sizes were in the range of 14,000-17,000 for non-Indian youth and 600-2,400 for Indian youth. 4 tables and 13 references