Indigenous people share their thoughts on why cultural appropriation and overharvesting more than cancel out the good vibes.
Author:Jessica L. YarbroughPublish date:Nov 13, 2019"Cleanse Your Head of Bad Vibes," reads an email that recently landed in my inbox, announcing a new sage-infused shampoo — one of many 2019 beauty launches that cheekily refers to the energy-clearing power of white sage, or Salvia apiana, a medicinal herb native to southern California and northern Mexico. For years now, beauty and wellness brands have banked on the "high vibe" reputation of sage to sell products.
"Smudging sage has nothing to do with the magical room-cleansing nonsense sold by uninspired capitalists," writer and activist Taté Walker, who is Miniconjou Lakota and a citizen of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, tells Fashionista. "Speaking for myself and what I've been taught about my Lakota culture, sage is a critical component within Lakota medicinal and ceremonial knowledge.
This persecution at the hands of the government is precisely what makes the burning of sage by non-Natives a classic case of cultural appropriation. As a refresher, appropriation is defined as "the adoption of elements of one culture by members of another culture" — especially if that first culture is discriminated against for the elements in question.
"Here's where the confusion lies: White sage is being illegally harvested," Susan Leopold of United Plant Savers tells Fashionista. Although laws prohibit people from picking white sage off wildlife preserves and public land, that hasn't stopped what she calls "the white sage mafia" from gathering protected plants for profit.
All that being said, Walker and Millar agree that saging and smudging are not out of the question for non-Natives, if practiced purposefully and mindfully. Finally, acknowledge your privilege and exercise allyship. "Non-Indigenous people are so freely able to use sage, and they're doing it in their homes, and they need to put it into perspective," says Millar. "At one point in history, me just doing a smudge, I would go to jail or have my kids taken, essentially.
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