No, blue sage, white sage and any other sage is not cultural appropriation. The purpose of smudging, however, is ill-defined for most consumers. Dr. Adrienne Keene, assistant professor of American Studies and Ethnic Studies at Brown University, author of the blog Native Appropriations, and citizen of the Cherokee Nation, This article was originally published on July 19, 2019, Shadow Work Is All About Stepping Into Your Power Here's How To Do It, TikTok's "Soft Life" Trend Isn't Just About Enjoying Nice Things, Meet The Running Coach Advocating For POC Representation On The Trails, How Many Squats Should You Do? Note that the issue is specifically White Sage. This is something known as a closed practice, something those who are not within specific cultures are not welcome to use under any circumstances. Its exploitative and amounts to silencing Native voices and erasing our cultural heritage, Hopkins says. Brandeis University provides funding as a member of The Conversation US. The past few years have certainly left many folks with the desire to rid their homes of negative energy. Blue sage is a member of the Mint family (Lamiaceae). If someone is harvesting white sage and doesnt know how to properly do so, theyre preventing more plants from growing and thus endangering the plant species. The use of blue sage has traditionally been associated with certain tribes, such as the Chumash, Tongva, and Luiseo, who have each claimed it as their own. In some of the rituals participants were already standing in the circle when this part of the ritual was done; in others they entered afterward. Our modern understanding of cultural appropriation is highly individualised. How to Contact Tesla: Customer Service Phone Number, Website, Social Media, Email & Live Chat, Bruce Willis Health Condition: Understanding the Actors Diet and Exercise Regimen, Exploring the Impact of Greg Gutfelds Vacation from Fox News, How to Get a Planet Fitness Key Tag: A Step-by-Step Guide, Is Exoticca a Good Travel Company? Meanwhile smudging with palo santo and white sage is a sacred ritual for many native North American tribes, who only pass down the practice to members of their community. Pagans, to the contrary, have ritual areas that must be transformed from mundane to sacred use. so are these other kinds of sages ok for non-native smudging/burning? Today, Native people are still fighting to be able to perform these ceremonies in hospitals. As a proof, the stores don't ask for your ID to see your ethnicity when buying sage. As Pike notes, in the early 1990s Native Americans from several tribes began to express their rage at what they saw as cultural strip mining, the stealing and watering down of their culture and their spirituality, which they described as an extension of colonization that had stripped them of their original lands. These plants and herbs can be used in the same way as blue sage and offer many of the same benefits. Blue Sage is widely used for cleansing and . Instead, advocates say non-Native people can learn to cleanse their spaces in ways that are culturally and ecologically sensitive. Cultural appropriation refers to the use of objects or elements of a non-dominant culture in a way that reinforces stereotypes or contributes to oppression and doesn't respect their original meaning or give credit to their source. The general act of smoke cleansing, however, is not inherently spiritual or specific to a certain culture in the way that smudging is. Your email address will not be published. If you have used herbs to cleanse your space in the past and enjoy the ritual, you don't have to give it up in order to do so in a culturally conscious way. ._3oeM4kc-2-4z-A0RTQLg0I{display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-ms-flex-pack:justify;justify-content:space-between} Cultural appropriation takes place when members of a majority group adopt cultural elements of a minority group in an exploitative, disrespectful, or stereotypical way. We have to stop guarding cultures and subcultures in efforts to preserve them.. I now see how that when it's done for gain, social or otherwise, it can be offensive. This entailed walking around the circle carrying a ritual knife known as an athame while chanting an incantation that marked the area as a safe place that only the spirits called would enter. Key elements of culture include: language art,. White sage has become particularly popular with those who practice witchcraft or witchcraft-inspired wellness rituals. A Step-by-Step Guide for Musicians. Magic, the process of changing reality to your will through incantations, is done in this realm. I think white fragility and the white savior syndrome come into play when people are afraid of lighting a piece of wood on fire because it might appropriate someone's culture. ._9ZuQyDXhFth1qKJF4KNm8{padding:12px 12px 40px}._2iNJX36LR2tMHx_unzEkVM,._1JmnMJclrTwTPpAip5U_Hm{font-size:16px;font-weight:500;line-height:20px;color:var(--newCommunityTheme-bodyText);margin-bottom:40px;padding-top:4px;text-align:left;margin-right:28px}._2iNJX36LR2tMHx_unzEkVM{-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex}._2iNJX36LR2tMHx_unzEkVM ._24r4TaTKqNLBGA3VgswFrN{margin-left:6px}._306gA2lxjCHX44ssikUp3O{margin-bottom:32px}._1Omf6afKRpv3RKNCWjIyJ4{font-size:18px;font-weight:500;line-height:22px;border-bottom:2px solid var(--newCommunityTheme-line);color:var(--newCommunityTheme-bodyText);margin-bottom:8px;padding-bottom:8px}._2Ss7VGMX-UPKt9NhFRtgTz{margin-bottom:24px}._3vWu4F9B4X4Yc-Gm86-FMP{border-bottom:1px solid var(--newCommunityTheme-line);margin-bottom:8px;padding-bottom:2px}._3vWu4F9B4X4Yc-Gm86-FMP:last-of-type{border-bottom-width:0}._2qAEe8HGjtHsuKsHqNCa9u{font-size:14px;font-weight:500;line-height:18px;color:var(--newCommunityTheme-bodyText);padding-bottom:8px;padding-top:8px}.c5RWd-O3CYE-XSLdTyjtI{padding:8px 0}._3whORKuQps-WQpSceAyHuF{font-size:12px;font-weight:400;line-height:16px;color:var(--newCommunityTheme-actionIcon);margin-bottom:8px}._1Qk-ka6_CJz1fU3OUfeznu{margin-bottom:8px}._3ds8Wk2l32hr3hLddQshhG{font-weight:500}._1h0r6vtgOzgWtu-GNBO6Yb,._3ds8Wk2l32hr3hLddQshhG{font-size:12px;line-height:16px;color:var(--newCommunityTheme-actionIcon)}._1h0r6vtgOzgWtu-GNBO6Yb{font-weight:400}.horIoLCod23xkzt7MmTpC{font-size:12px;font-weight:400;line-height:16px;color:#ea0027}._33Iw1wpNZ-uhC05tWsB9xi{margin-top:24px}._2M7LQbQxH40ingJ9h9RslL{font-size:12px;font-weight:400;line-height:16px;color:var(--newCommunityTheme-actionIcon);margin-bottom:8px} Read the original article. Cultural appropriation is a hot-button issue in todays world, and one of the more recent topics to come under scrutiny is the use of blue sage. Poll: Support for abortion rights is strong, even among most religious groups . For Hopkins, the appropriation of white sage is made worse because the plant is often not being harvested correctly. Offers may be subject to change without notice. I noticed while doing my research in 1986 that white sage was sold at stores catering to the occult. As contemporary Pagans often piece together different elements to create their spirituality, for many it seemed natural to include Native American practices. The line between celebration and appropriation gets crossed when there is the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices or ideas of one group by another, typically more dominant group. Because there is no dedicated sanctified place, cleansing and protection become particularly important within Paganism. . .ehsOqYO6dxn_Pf9Dzwu37{margin-top:0;overflow:visible}._2pFdCpgBihIaYh9DSMWBIu{height:24px}._2pFdCpgBihIaYh9DSMWBIu.uMPgOFYlCc5uvpa2Lbteu{border-radius:2px}._2pFdCpgBihIaYh9DSMWBIu.uMPgOFYlCc5uvpa2Lbteu:focus,._2pFdCpgBihIaYh9DSMWBIu.uMPgOFYlCc5uvpa2Lbteu:hover{background-color:var(--newRedditTheme-navIconFaded10);outline:none}._38GxRFSqSC-Z2VLi5Xzkjy{color:var(--newCommunityTheme-actionIcon)}._2DO72U0b_6CUw3msKGrnnT{border-top:none;color:var(--newCommunityTheme-metaText);cursor:pointer;padding:8px 16px 8px 8px;text-transform:none}._2DO72U0b_6CUw3msKGrnnT:hover{background-color:#0079d3;border:none;color:var(--newCommunityTheme-body);fill:var(--newCommunityTheme-body)} I mean, if you're of white European descent, you have no reason to wear a headdress, smoke a peace pipe and do smudging ceremonies while claiming to be a shaman of the Navajo. What kind of sage is not cultural appropriation? Cultural appropriation leads to a narrow look at other cultures and often exploitation of those cultures. It represents a continuing legacy of marginalizing and punishing Native spirituality. Many cultures have historical and spiritual practices connected to smoke cleansing everything from herbs and woods to incense and roots. Still, what most people think of today as cultural appropriation is the opposite: a member of the dominant culture an insider taking from a culture that has historically been and is still . Cultural appropriation is a very complicated topic, and the line between appreciating and learning from another culture and stealing from them in a harmful way isn't always clear. Stole these folks land and now you want to steal their cultural practices too. Do you have knowledge or insights to share? It was illegal for Natives to practice their religion (including smudging) until 1978 in the U.S. It's something they've had to fight for. ._3Qx5bBCG_O8wVZee9J-KyJ{border-top:1px solid var(--newCommunityTheme-widgetColors-lineColor);margin-top:16px;padding-top:16px}._3Qx5bBCG_O8wVZee9J-KyJ ._2NbKFI9n3wPM76pgfAPEsN{margin:0;padding:0}._3Qx5bBCG_O8wVZee9J-KyJ ._2NbKFI9n3wPM76pgfAPEsN ._2btz68cXFBI3RWcfSNwbmJ{font-family:Noto Sans,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-weight:400;line-height:21px;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-ms-flex-pack:justify;justify-content:space-between;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;margin:8px 0}._3Qx5bBCG_O8wVZee9J-KyJ ._2NbKFI9n3wPM76pgfAPEsN ._2btz68cXFBI3RWcfSNwbmJ.QgBK4ECuqpeR2umRjYcP2{opacity:.4}._3Qx5bBCG_O8wVZee9J-KyJ ._2NbKFI9n3wPM76pgfAPEsN ._2btz68cXFBI3RWcfSNwbmJ label{font-size:12px;font-weight:500;line-height:16px;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center}._3Qx5bBCG_O8wVZee9J-KyJ ._2NbKFI9n3wPM76pgfAPEsN ._2btz68cXFBI3RWcfSNwbmJ label svg{fill:currentColor;height:20px;margin-right:4px;width:20px;-ms-flex:0 0 auto;flex:0 0 auto}._3Qx5bBCG_O8wVZee9J-KyJ ._4OtOUaGIjjp2cNJMUxme_{-ms-flex-pack:justify;justify-content:space-between}._3Qx5bBCG_O8wVZee9J-KyJ ._4OtOUaGIjjp2cNJMUxme_ svg{display:inline-block;height:12px;width:12px}._2b2iJtPCDQ6eKanYDf3Jho{-ms-flex:0 0 auto;flex:0 0 auto}._4OtOUaGIjjp2cNJMUxme_{padding:0 12px}._1ra1vBLrjtHjhYDZ_gOy8F{font-family:Noto Sans,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;letter-spacing:unset;line-height:16px;text-transform:unset;--textColor:var(--newCommunityTheme-widgetColors-sidebarWidgetTextColor);--textColorHover:var(--newCommunityTheme-widgetColors-sidebarWidgetTextColorShaded80);font-size:10px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.5px;line-height:12px;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--textColor);fill:var(--textColor);opacity:1}._1ra1vBLrjtHjhYDZ_gOy8F._2UlgIO1LIFVpT30ItAtPfb{--textColor:var(--newRedditTheme-widgetColors-sidebarWidgetTextColor);--textColorHover:var(--newRedditTheme-widgetColors-sidebarWidgetTextColorShaded80)}._1ra1vBLrjtHjhYDZ_gOy8F:active,._1ra1vBLrjtHjhYDZ_gOy8F:hover{color:var(--textColorHover);fill:var(--textColorHover)}._1ra1vBLrjtHjhYDZ_gOy8F:disabled,._1ra1vBLrjtHjhYDZ_gOy8F[data-disabled],._1ra1vBLrjtHjhYDZ_gOy8F[disabled]{opacity:.5;cursor:not-allowed}._3a4fkgD25f5G-b0Y8wVIBe{margin-right:8px} I have only lavender incense, is that considered cultural appropriation? /*# sourceMappingURL=https://www.redditstatic.com/desktop2x/chunkCSS/TopicLinksContainer.3b33fc17a17cec1345d4_.css.map*/Been looking into this quite a lot recently but havent found too many answers on other types of sage. Purification can be done in several ways. The sage plant is native to the Mediterranean region but has grown across the Americas for ages. As a sociologist of religion who has studied contemporary Paganism for more than 30 years, I am aware of how important both contact with the spirit world and purification are in this religion. At the same time, it is possible to enjoy the benefits of blue sage without disrespecting its cultural roots. Adopting blue sage in respectful ways can also bring spiritual and physical benefits. .FIYolDqalszTnjjNfThfT{max-width:256px;white-space:normal;text-align:center} "Salvia" is a name that means "healer," referring to this ancient name for a sage with medicinal properties. Cultural appropriation or cultural celebration? White sage and cultural appropriation Sometimes white sage was used for purification in a ritual. But the way in which the idea was first. As Pagans pride themselves on being sensitive to practices of diverse cultures, most quickly gave up the use of sage; the use of other Native American artifacts in Pagan practices became less common as well. ._1x9diBHPBP-hL1JiwUwJ5J{font-size:14px;font-weight:500;line-height:18px;color:#ff585b;padding-left:3px;padding-right:24px}._2B0OHMLKb9TXNdd9g5Ere-,._1xKxnscCn2PjBiXhorZef4{height:16px;padding-right:4px;vertical-align:top}.icon._1LLqoNXrOsaIkMtOuTBmO5{height:20px;vertical-align:middle;padding-right:8px}.QB2Yrr8uihZVRhvwrKuMS{height:18px;padding-right:8px;vertical-align:top}._3w_KK8BUvCMkCPWZVsZQn0{font-size:14px;font-weight:500;line-height:18px;color:var(--newCommunityTheme-actionIcon)}._3w_KK8BUvCMkCPWZVsZQn0 ._1LLqoNXrOsaIkMtOuTBmO5,._3w_KK8BUvCMkCPWZVsZQn0 ._2B0OHMLKb9TXNdd9g5Ere-,._3w_KK8BUvCMkCPWZVsZQn0 ._1xKxnscCn2PjBiXhorZef4,._3w_KK8BUvCMkCPWZVsZQn0 .QB2Yrr8uihZVRhvwrKuMS{fill:var(--newCommunityTheme-actionIcon)} Is done in is blue sage cultural appropriation realm years have certainly left many folks with desire., blue sage and any other sage is not cultural appropriation is made worse because the plant is not..., the process of changing reality to your will through incantations, is ill-defined for most consumers at... 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