Required fields are marked *. Theme: Newsup by Themeansar. 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. Though not the only sage native to North America, white sage is by far the one most frequently used and sold by the wellness industry. . Helen A. Berger is Affiliated Scholar at the Womens Studies Research Center, Brandeis University. Cultural appropriation or cultural celebration? It would be both ironic and sad if in celebrating Mother Earth, Pagans helped to make a sacred herb extinct. Stole these folks land and now you want to steal their cultural practices too. Unless it's endangeredmaybei like castoreum. However, much of the public remains confused about what the term actually means. ._3bX7W3J0lU78fp7cayvNxx{max-width:208px;text-align:center} This can include unauthorized use of another culture's. This form of cleansing can look a bit like smudging, but its just the simple act of burning herbs, wood, incense, or other safe-to-burn materials that possess cleansing properties. Just use your sage and that's it. A close up image of a bushy white sage plant used to make smudge sticks. This practice is often used for spiritual cleansing or protection against negative energy. When I began my research in 1986, it was most commonly done using salt and water. The use of sage was not the only cultural artifact that these Native American spokespeople objected to being used by nonnatives. ._3oeM4kc-2-4z-A0RTQLg0I{display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-ms-flex-pack:justify;justify-content:space-between} Although this account of cultural appropriation is normative, cultural appropriation is often wrong only in a trivial sense. 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. By purchasing blue sage from indigenous vendors, researching its traditional uses, and being mindful of its cultural roots, it is possible to enjoy the benefits of blue sage without appropriating its culture. Is this the society we re living in? Unlike cultural appropriation, strategic anti-essentialism can be practiced by both minority cultures and majority cultures. Although Black musicians paved the way for the launch of rock-n-roll, their contributions to the artform were largely ignored in the 1950s and beyond. Traditional dress and eagles feathers were two other examples of commonly appropriated items. The participants were also purified, with salt, water, smoke from a candle, incense or rosemary and a crystal or rock, symbolizing Mother Earth. Once a saver, always a saver: Warren Buffett says generational wealth isnt what it used to be in his annual letter Its bigger than the housing crisis: An influential economist just blamed NIMBYs for American decline, and Elon Musk CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. The contextual conditions that can render acts of cultural appropriation more egregious include: the existence of a . Purification can be done in several ways. Native Americans who normally pick the herb as they need it are complaining that they are unable to find enough for their spiritual needs. Spoken like a true colonising brute. ._2Gt13AX94UlLxkluAMsZqP{background-position:50%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:contain;position:relative;display:inline-block} In her groundbreaking book Purity and Danger, anthropologist Mary Douglas illustrates how purity and its maintenance are central to religion. Hi, I'm Happy Sharer and I love sharing interesting and useful knowledge with others. Added to this, those who are new to Paganism are often unaware of the history of appropriation and are repeating the errors of an earlier generation of Pagans and using sage in their rituals. Really interested in some others viewpoints but a lot of the responses here dont really go into it! More mainstream religions have buildings, such as churches or synagogues, where they maintain sanctuaries for religious purposes only. Its also a sacred herb to several Indigenous communities, including the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Navajo. /*# sourceMappingURL=https://www.redditstatic.com/desktop2x/chunkCSS/IdCard.ea0ac1df4e6491a16d39_.css.map*/._2JU2WQDzn5pAlpxqChbxr7{height:16px;margin-right:8px;width:16px}._3E45je-29yDjfFqFcLCXyH{margin-top:16px}._13YtS_rCnVZG1ns2xaCalg{font-family:Noto Sans,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-weight:400;line-height:18px;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex}._1m5fPZN4q3vKVg9SgU43u2{margin-top:12px}._17A-IdW3j1_fI_pN-8tMV-{display:inline-block;margin-bottom:8px;margin-right:5px}._5MIPBF8A9vXwwXFumpGqY{border-radius:20px;font-size:12px;font-weight:500;letter-spacing:0;line-height:16px;padding:3px 10px;text-transform:none}._5MIPBF8A9vXwwXFumpGqY:focus{outline:unset} These tribes have historically used blue sage for ceremonial and medicinal purposes. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Finally, it is important to be mindful of the impact that the appropriation of blue sage has had on indigenous communities and to be respectful of their cultures and traditions. While it is not inherently wrong to adopt elements of another culture, it can be problematic when the source is not acknowledged or respected. 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. Seriously??? 'Dressing in traditional clothes that do not belong to one's own culture or . Balancing respect for culture with enjoyment of blue sage is an important issue. All rights reserved. Your email address will not be published. As I learned when I was doing my research, most Pagans believe entering this realm holds both great possibilities and dangers. Cultural appropriation is the adoption of certain elements from another culture without the consent of people who belong to that culture. FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. In this article, we will explore the history of blue sage, examine how it has been appropriated, investigate the impact of its cultural appropriation, analyze the debate surrounding its use, explain the benefits of adopting it respectfully, identify alternatives to using blue sage without cultural appropriation, and investigate how to balance . The participants were also purified, with salt, water, smoke from a candle, incense or rosemary and a crystal or rock, symbolizing Mother Earth. It has become common, for example, for younger Americans to cleanse their homes of bad spirits with white sage even if they do not identify as Pagans. Possibly more importantly, rituals are meant to open up the individual to the spiritual or other world. Pagans, to the contrary, have ritual areas that must be transformed from mundane to sacred use. However, in recent years, the use of blue sage has become more widespread and is no longer limited to these tribes. I noticed while doing my research in 1986 that white sage was sold at stores catering to the occult. There is a lively debate surrounding the cultural appropriation of blue sage. For many contemporary Pagans, Native American spirituality was a practice they wanted to emulate because of its connection to the land, to a spirit world, and because it predates Christianity and is native to the region. All Rights Reserved. Christmas trees are German, The Statue of Liberty is French, Spaghetti is Italian, Corn is Native American it's only cultural appropriation if you're claiming to be from a culture you aren't and wrapping yourself in it. Cultural appropriation leads to a narrow look at other cultures and often exploitation of those cultures. Purification can be done in several ways. This is a complicated subject and my opinion is that I am a US citizen, born into a culture described as a "melting pot". Magic, the process of changing reality to your will through incantations, is done in this realm. 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? If you have any insights or knowledge you think would be valuable, feel free to share them with me. 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. found along the coast of Southern California, frankincense and myrrh were burned in ancient Egypt for prayer, rosemary was historically burned in hospitals in France, International Union for Conservation of Natures (IUCN) list. As a proof, the stores don't ask for your ID to see your ethnicity when buying sage. When I began my research in 1986, it was most commonly done using salt and water. For example, frankincense and myrrh were burned in ancient Egypt for prayer, and rosemary was historically burned in hospitals in France in order to clear the air of infection. The market has become larger as aspects of Pagan or New Age practices have seeped into more general practice and the number of Pagans has increased. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. @keyframes ibDwUVR1CAykturOgqOS5{0%{transform:rotate(0deg)}to{transform:rotate(1turn)}}._3LwT7hgGcSjmJ7ng7drAuq{--sizePx:0;font-size:4px;position:relative;text-indent:-9999em;border-radius:50%;border:4px solid var(--newCommunityTheme-bodyTextAlpha20);border-left-color:var(--newCommunityTheme-body);transform:translateZ(0);animation:ibDwUVR1CAykturOgqOS5 1.1s linear infinite}._3LwT7hgGcSjmJ7ng7drAuq,._3LwT7hgGcSjmJ7ng7drAuq:after{width:var(--sizePx);height:var(--sizePx)}._3LwT7hgGcSjmJ7ng7drAuq:after{border-radius:50%}._3LwT7hgGcSjmJ7ng7drAuq._2qr28EeyPvBWAsPKl-KuWN{margin:0 auto} 2023 Fortune Media IP Limited. Palo Santo has been added to the International Union for Conservation of Natures (IUCN) list, because though the tree is not yet nearing extinction, its recent overharvesting can put it on that path. Historically, deciding exactly what culture is hasn't been easy. Purification can be done using a number of substances, including salt, rosemary and sometimes white sage. White sage, which is sacred to a number of Native American tribes in the southwest United States, has been adopted by both some contemporary Pagans and New Age practitioners for purification rites. i like this take a lot, and i was asking just for general use purposes and nothing spiritual/ritualistic, because that does cross a line. White sage, which is sacred to a number of Native American tribes in the southwest United States, has been adopted by both some contemporary Pagans and New Age practitioners for purification rites. I have only lavender incense, is that considered cultural appropriation? 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. And it doesnt specifically refer to the burning of white sage, either. 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. Cultural appropriation takes place when members of a majority group adopt cultural elements of a minority group in an exploitative, disrespectful, or stereotypical way. As religious studies scholar Sarah Pike found among contemporary Pagans, cultural borrowing from Native Americans was seen as connecting the participants to the spirits that lived in the land around them. It is important to note, however, that they should still be used in a respectful way and not taken out of their traditional contexts. Pagan rituals take place outdoors, when possible, or sometimes in peoples homes or in occult bookstores. 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. i'm aware that white sage and palo santo are the major no-no's when it comes to non natives burning/smudging. Its about power.. When purification includes the use of sage, it raises the issue of appropriation, as it has traditionally been used by Native Americans in their rituals. I just burn incense for the smell and because I enjoy collecting, but if you have a deeper meaning behind your burning, or burn it more ritualistically like while meditating, you may want to be more weary. Others argue that cultural appropriation is inevitable and that it is not necessarily wrong to use elements of another culture if done in a respectful way. However, what most people are referring to when they talk about the popularized practice of smudging is white sage (Salvia apiana). | I have a passion for learning and enjoy explaining complex concepts in a simple way. Blue Sage is widely used for cleansing and . You can also use white sage as long as if you bought it for a native, or a native gave it to you. 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 . We have to stop guarding cultures and subcultures in efforts to preserve them.. It only becomes cultural appropriation when an element of culture is adopted from a marginalized group without respect for its cultural meaning or significance or with the purpose of exploiting the culture Geez. Different Native communities use different medicines for smudging depending on where they are from, and not every culture uses white sage or smudges. Why is Good UI/UX Design Imperative for Business Success? Some of the Pagan practitioners had received training from a Native American teacher. Fears have also been raised that overharvesting could result in the plants becoming extinct, resulting in the extinction of the animals that are dependent on it as well. identity. 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. A perennial evergreen shrub of the mint family with soft, gray-green leaves, produces blue and purple flowers. It represents a continuing legacy of marginalizing and punishing Native spirituality, says Keene. 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. They suggest that blue sage can be used in a way that honors its traditional roots while still allowing others to benefit from it. Within these religions nature is viewed as sacred, to be celebrated and protected. Those who had been using sage returned to using either salt and water or rosemary for purification. One of the ways it can become more serious is through the presence of what we term 'amplifiers'. In this article, we will explore the history of blue sage, examine how it has been appropriated, investigate the impact of its cultural appropriation, analyze the debate surrounding its use, explain the benefits of adopting it respectfully, identify alternatives to using blue sage without cultural appropriation, and investigate how to balance respect for culture with enjoyment of blue sage. Cultural appropriation is not a modern concept; it has existed as long as culture itself. so is blue sage okay to buy and use ? 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