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Sage Bundles in Native American
Ceremony
Smudging with a
sage bundle has long been a most significant part of the spirituality of
many Native American tribes. Smudging
has been used since ancient times by many people as a ceremony
of purification--among pre-Christian pagans as well as Catholic and Eastern
Orthodox churches, among Hindus and Buddhists as well as Cherokee and
Lakota. Called "incense" in some traditions, it can be made of a variety of
fragrant plant materials. Native Americans have used their local plants of
obtained more exotic materials through trade with tribes of other regions.
Among the plants used for smudge are tobacco, sweetgrass, calamus, red
willow bark, red osier dogwood, cedar needles and sage. (This is not
culinary sage of the genus Salvia, but is one of the species of the genus
Artemisia, which includes the landscape perennials, silver mound and silver
king, as well as sagebrush and mugwort.) I have gathered my favorite sage in the
Rocky Mountains of Utah, Nevada, and northeastern California. Its fragrance
is wonderful before and during the smudging.
 The
chosen plant material should be dried and tied into sage bundles with cotton
string or any other natural plant fiber. We wrap sage bundles as thick as our
hands can hold. Four colors of string is combined to honor the four
directions--red for the east, yellow for the south, black for the west, and
white for the north. Or the material can be crumbled, cut or coarsely ground
and stored in a container that prevents the loss of the aromatic oils that
give sage its characteristic fragrance.
 A natural container is needed to hold the mixture while it burns or smolders.
Some prefer a large shell such as an abalone. Others use an
earthenware bowl or a hollowed rock. I like the big abalone shells from the
Pacific Coast. They are big and beautiful. I like using shells more than
pottery because it was made most directly by the hand of the Creator. Isn't
that gorgeous?
 You
will need a way to fan the embers in the sage bundle to keep them burning. In some
traditions, it is considered disrespectful to blow upon the smudge with
one's breath. You can use your hand to sweep air into the sage bundle embers, but a
feather, feather fan, or wing are much more effective. To keep smudge
burning you will also need matches or perhaps a lighter.
You can use this sage ceremony to purify and cleanse people, places and things.
Smudging with the sage bundle brings an awareness of the sacred and should be performed with
sensitivity and respect. As you add each pinch of the smudge mixture to
the shell or pot, offer thanks to the Grandmothers and Grandfathers of
each of the four directions, The order of honoring may differ from nation
to nation. Some start with the east, others from the north or east. Always
the rotation is sunwise, following the path of the sun
(east-south-west-north, for example). Then to Mother Earth (down), Grandfather
Sun (up) and finally to the Great Mystery within all things (brought to
your heart).
 Bring all of the smudge together in a mound in the center of the
container. After igniting the mixture, fan it until it is burning well.
Continue to fan the embers as needed to keep them smoldering. Once again
offer the smoke to the seven directions--East, South, West, North, Mother
Earth, Father Sun, and the Great Mystery. Cleanse yourself by drawing the
smoke over your head, over each shoulder, and over your heart. With the
help of another, you can be cleansed under each foot, along your legs and
across your back. Sacred space is smudged before it is entered by others
or at the beginning of the ceremony. Pass through the smoke whatever
ceremonial instrument you wish to use--the fan, the pipe, your hands, a
dream catcher. Smudging a sage bundle is a useful way to cleanse your dream catcher to make
it ready for use.
When the sage ceremony is complete, the ashes should be totally burned (avoid
using more than you will need) and respectfully returned to Mother Earth,
perhaps at the base of a tree, a shrub, or rock. Never dump the ashes into
the garbage or trash. The purpose of the medicine path is to always walk
in beauty, in balance between ego and heart, honoring the Great Mystery
within you and All That Is, and respecting all other beings in the Web of
Life. Ah hau!
Our large, thick sage bundles when available are $7.00 each.
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In accordance with Title 17
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© 2007, Allen Aslan Heart / White Eagle Soaring of the Little Shell Pembina Band, a
Treaty
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