Smudging Cultural Appropriation: The White Sage Issue

BY NICOLE LAU

⚠️ IMPORTANT NOTICE: If you are not Indigenous, you should NOT be using white sage or calling what you do "smudging." This article explains why white sage use is cultural appropriation AND environmental harm, and provides respectful alternatives. Stop using white sage. Use your own cultural traditions instead.

The Problem: White Sage and "Smudging"

Walk into any metaphysical shop, scroll through any witchcraft social media, and you'll see it: white sage bundles marketed for "smudging" and "cleansing." This has become so normalized that many people don't realize they're participating in cultural appropriation and environmental destruction.

Here's the truth: If you're not Indigenous, you shouldn't be using white sage or calling your practice "smudging."

What Is Smudging? (And Why You're Probably Not Doing It)

Actual Smudging

Smudging is a specific ceremonial practice used by various Indigenous North American nations. It involves:

• Specific protocols and prayers
• Sacred context and intention
• Cultural knowledge passed down through generations
• Connection to specific Indigenous traditions and communities
• Proper understanding of the plants and their sacred significance

Smudging is not just "burning herbs for cleansing." It is a sacred practice with specific cultural context, protocols, and meaning.

What Non-Indigenous People Are Actually Doing

When non-Indigenous people burn white sage and call it "smudging," they are:

• Appropriating Indigenous spiritual practices
• Stripping sacred practices of their cultural context
• Using the word "smudging" incorrectly
• Treating Indigenous spirituality as a commodity
• Contributing to environmental harm

What you're doing is smoke cleansing, not smudging. Many cultures have smoke cleansing traditions. Use your own cultural practices and terminology.

Why Using White Sage Is Appropriation

White Sage Is Sacred to Indigenous Peoples

White sage (Salvia apiana) is sacred to many Indigenous nations, particularly in California and the Southwest. It has been used ceremonially for thousands of years with:

• Specific prayers and protocols
• Cultural knowledge about proper harvesting and use
• Spiritual significance tied to Indigenous cosmology
• Connection to specific lands and territories

When non-Indigenous people use white sage, they're taking something sacred without permission, understanding, or respect for its cultural context.

Historical Context: Criminalization and Commodification

Indigenous spiritual practices, including the use of white sage, were ILLEGAL in the United States until 1978. Indigenous people were:

• Arrested for practicing their religions
• Punished for using sacred plants
• Forced to practice in secret
• Separated from their spiritual traditions

While Indigenous people were being criminalized for using white sage, non-Indigenous people were beginning to appropriate it. Now, white sage is mass-marketed to non-Indigenous people while Indigenous communities:

• Face difficulty accessing their own sacred plant
• Cannot afford white sage due to commercial demand
• Watch their sacred practices be commodified and trivialized
• Continue to face discrimination and marginalization

This is the definition of appropriation: taking what was stolen from oppressed people and profiting from it while they continue to suffer.

The Environmental Crisis: White Sage Is Being Destroyed

Overharvesting and Endangerment

The commercial demand for white sage has led to:

• Severe overharvesting of wild white sage
• Poaching from public and Indigenous lands
• Destruction of white sage habitat
• Threat to the plant's long-term survival
• Disruption of ecosystems that depend on white sage

White sage grows slowly and is native to a limited range (primarily California and parts of the Southwest). It cannot sustain the current level of commercial harvesting.

Most White Sage Is Illegally or Unethically Harvested

The white sage sold in stores is often:

• Poached from public lands (illegal)
• Taken from Indigenous territories without permission (theft)
• Harvested unsustainably (environmental destruction)
• Sourced through exploitative labor practices

Even "ethically sourced" white sage is problematic because:

• The demand itself is the problem
• Non-Indigenous people shouldn't be using it regardless of sourcing
• "Ethical" claims are often unverifiable
• Cultivation cannot meet demand without harming wild populations

Climate Change and Habitat Loss

White sage habitat is already threatened by:

• Climate change and drought
• Urban development
• Wildfires
• Invasive species

Commercial overharvesting compounds these threats, pushing white sage toward endangerment.

The Harm of White Sage Appropriation

Cultural Harm

• Disrespects Indigenous peoples and their sacred practices
• Trivializes and commodifies Indigenous spirituality
• Spreads misinformation about Indigenous practices
• Makes it harder for Indigenous people to practice their own traditions
• Perpetuates colonization and cultural genocide
• Erases the specific cultural contexts of different Indigenous nations

Economic Harm

• Non-Indigenous businesses profit from stolen culture
• Indigenous people cannot afford their own sacred plant
• Economic opportunities are taken from Indigenous communities
• Wealth is extracted from Indigenous lands without benefit to Indigenous peoples

Environmental Harm

• Threatens white sage populations
• Damages ecosystems
• Contributes to biodiversity loss
• Harms wildlife that depends on white sage
• Degrades Indigenous lands and sacred sites

What You Should Do Instead: Respectful Alternatives

1. Stop Using White Sage Immediately

If you currently use white sage:

• Stop buying it
• Don't use what you have (dispose of it respectfully or return it to the earth)
• Don't gift it to others
• Don't recommend it
• Educate others about why it's problematic

2. Use Your Own Cultural Smoke Cleansing Traditions

Many cultures have smoke cleansing practices. Explore your own ancestral traditions:

European Traditions:

• Rosemary (purification, protection)
• Lavender (peace, purification)
• Mugwort (psychic cleansing, protection)
• Juniper (purification, protection)
• Bay laurel (purification, protection)
• Garden sage (Salvia officinalis—NOT white sage)
• Thyme (purification, courage)

Mediterranean Traditions:

• Frankincense and myrrh (purification, sacred space)
• Olive leaves (peace, blessing)
• Rosemary (purification, protection)

Asian Traditions:

• Sandalwood (if you're from cultures that traditionally use it)
• Various incense traditions (if appropriate to your culture)

Other Options:

• Cedar (if not from Indigenous sources—use cultivated cedar)
• Pine (purification, protection)
• Sweetgrass alternatives (do NOT use actual sweetgrass—also Indigenous and endangered)

3. Grow Your Own Herbs

The most ethical approach:

• Grow your own cleansing herbs
• Harvest sustainably from your own garden
• Know exactly where your herbs come from
• Develop relationship with the plants you use
• Use local, appropriate plants

4. Use Appropriate Terminology

Stop calling it "smudging." Use terms like:

• Smoke cleansing
• Herbal smoke
• Incense burning
• Fumigation (historical European term)
• Your specific cultural term (if you have one)

5. Learn Proper Smoke Cleansing Techniques

Smoke cleansing doesn't require white sage or Indigenous practices. You can:

• Burn loose herbs in a fireproof bowl
• Use a censer or incense burner
• Make your own herb bundles from garden herbs
• Use resin incense (frankincense, myrrh, copal if appropriate)
• Develop your own prayers and intentions

Common Excuses and Why They Don't Work

"But I'm Honoring Native Culture"

No, you're not. Honor means respect. Respect means listening when Indigenous people say "stop using our sacred plants" and actually stopping.

"But I Buy Ethically Sourced Sage"

There is no ethical way for non-Indigenous people to use white sage. The appropriation is the problem, not just the sourcing. Also, "ethical" claims are often unverifiable.

"But It Works So Well"

Other herbs work just as well. The effectiveness comes from your intention and practice, not from the specific plant. Use herbs from your own tradition.

"But I Didn't Know"

Now you know. Change your behavior. Ignorance is not an excuse to continue harmful practices once you've been educated.

"But Everyone Does It"

Widespread appropriation is still appropriation. Just because something is normalized doesn't make it right.

"But I'm Spiritual, Not Religious"

Your spirituality doesn't give you the right to take from Indigenous peoples. Being "spiritual" doesn't exempt you from respecting cultural boundaries.

"But I Have Indigenous Ancestry" (Without Proof)

Family stories are not proof. If you're not enrolled in a tribe or cannot document your ancestry, you're not Indigenous for the purposes of using Indigenous sacred plants.

How to Recognize White Sage Appropriation

Red flags that indicate appropriation:

• Non-Indigenous people selling "smudge kits" or white sage
• Businesses marketing white sage for "cleansing" or "smudging"
• Social media posts showing white sage use by non-Indigenous people
• Books or articles teaching "smudging" by non-Indigenous authors
• Metaphysical shops selling white sage without education about appropriation
• "Smudging" services offered by non-Indigenous practitioners
• White sage in subscription boxes or gift sets

What to Do If You've Been Using White Sage

If you've been using white sage and now realize it's problematic:

1. Stop immediately. Don't use what you have left.
2. Don't feel defensive. Acknowledge the harm and commit to change.
3. Dispose respectfully. Return it to the earth or compost it. Don't burn it.
4. Switch to alternatives. Use herbs from your own cultural tradition.
5. Educate others. Share what you've learned.
6. Support Indigenous communities. Advocate for their rights and sovereignty.
7. Don't make it about your feelings. Focus on the harm to Indigenous peoples and the environment.

Supporting Indigenous Communities

Instead of appropriating Indigenous practices:

• Support Indigenous-led environmental protection efforts
• Advocate for Indigenous land rights and sovereignty
• Support the Land Back movement
• Buy from Indigenous artists and businesses (not appropriators)
• Learn about and support Indigenous environmental justice
• Respect sacred sites and Indigenous territories
• Listen to and amplify Indigenous voices
• Support Indigenous language and cultural revitalization

Conclusion: Choose Respect Over Appropriation

Using white sage when you're not Indigenous is:

• Cultural appropriation
• Environmental destruction
• Disrespectful to Indigenous peoples
• Unnecessary (you have alternatives)
• Harmful in multiple ways

The solution is simple:

• Stop using white sage
• Stop calling it "smudging"
• Use herbs from your own cultural tradition
• Respect Indigenous sovereignty and sacred practices
• Educate others about appropriation
• Support Indigenous communities and environmental protection

You don't need white sage. You have your own traditions. Use them.

This article is part of our Respectful Cultural Education series. Sixth article in the series.