We live in a very powerful time, we have so much knowledge at our fingertips and are able to see social issues through the eyes of people from every culture due to incredible technological advances and the invention of social media. Yet even though we live in the age of communication, sometimes we still do and say insensitive things in regards to other races, cultures, and religions that we do not belong to.
As witches, we are thought of as a very conscientious and accepting community of people. Typically we are very careful about how we treat the environment and those living within it. That being said, we are not exempt from making mistakes, acting insensitive, or appropriating other cultures. In this article, I want to discuss some of the most common ways that I see witches appropriating other cultures and engaging in unethical practices.
Now, I want to be completely transparent with anyone reading this. I am not an expert in any of these cultures or practices, I am just writing about what I have learned through lots, and lots of research. If you belong to any of the cultures mentioned and feel that I have gotten some information wrong, please feel free to correct me. I certainly do not want to spread any misinformation. I also want to mention that there are plenty of people from these cultures who truly do not mind seeing other people adopt these practices, but many people do mind. Let’s all take steps to be more empathetic towards others and try to be our best to be our highest selves.
Smudging
The word smudging is very widely used, but we need to take a deep look into what smudging actually is. Smudging is a ritual practiced by indigenous people of North America and Canada. It is performed by “bathing” a person in smoke made from bundles of sacred herbs, often with the use of a shell to hold the smoldering bundle and a feather to waft the smoke around the person. This practice is used to cleanse someone of negativity and to honor their ancestors. There are four sacred plants often used for smudging: tobacco, sage, sweetgrass, and cedar, we’ll discuss some of these plants later. I read a great article written by Cassie Uhl, and something she said really stuck with me “Using the term smudge for burning your herbs, as a non-Indigenous American, would be like calling every bath you take a baptism. Baptisms are a sacred ritual for Christians, just as smudging is for Indigenous Americans. Try using these terms instead, herb burning, sage stick, or herb stick.”(1). I really like this analogy because it puts things into perspective, one is a religious practice and the other is not, so we should be respectful about the words we use when referring to our practices.
It is perfectly fine to use smoke to cleanse yourself and your home, that’s not the issue, but smoke cleansing is not smudging. And think about it, you aren’t going to offend somebody by saying “smoke cleansing”, but why take a chance of offending someone by calling it “smudging”?
If you are finding yourself particularly attracted to the practice of smudging, please find someone belonging to Native American culture to teach you. More often than not, when you approach something with respect and appreciation, people don’t mind educating you about their practices.
White Sage
Ah, yes, the herb of growing controversy. White sage is a sacred plant to many indigenous people and is native to the southwestern US and northern Mexico. There is a lot of correct and incorrect information out there right now about white sage, so let’s try to unpack it all. The first piece of false information swirling around out there is that white sage is endangered, this is actually not true. According to the USDA, white sage is not endangered, threatened, or even at risk at this time( 2). It is, however on the “to watch” list as of 2018 (3). It won’t stay that way though if harvesting practices don’t change. Although it isn’t endangered, it is being over-harvested and this is a big problem. The wild white sage numbers are steadily dwindling due to people harvesting them in unsustainable ways, for this reason, you should never buy “wild harvested” sage. On top of wild sage being over-harvested, people have gone as far as illegally harvesting white sage from protected lands, such as reservations where indigenous people are growing it for their own practices and profits. Consistent over-harvesting and theft of this herb will cause it to go extinct if we are not careful. This extinction would be detrimental to the culture and practices of many indigenous people.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t use white sage, but you should really be very considerate when buying and using it. Obviously, the best way to obtain sage is to grow your own, but if you can’t, make sure you’re buying from someone who sells white sage that’s been harvested in a sustainable way. One website that I recommend is sagewinds.us
Also, be sure to make your sage last. One way to do this is by breaking apart your bundle and burning it one leaf at a time. Another way to make it last is to STOP USING WHITE SAGE TO CLEANSE EVERYTHING. You don’t need to use it to cleanse every single space and person. It is said that white sage smoke cleanses an area of ALL energy, both positive and negative, and if this is true, you shouldn’t be using it for everything because it creates a void that will be filled by the first energy that enters it. It is great for cleansing a new house, new car, etc, but for general smoke cleansing, there are many wonderful alternatives to burning white sage. My favorites are mugwort, juniper and other types of sage, like desert sage or black sage.
Palo Santo
I have seen various opinions about whether using palo santo is cultural appropriation or not, people seem to be divided on this issue. Either way, the use of palo santo still needs to be done in a considerate way. Palo Santo literally means “holy wood” and was originally used by Spanish monks because of its amazing cleansing and healing properties (4). It has been used for its medicinal purposes by shamans in South America for hundreds of years.
Sadly, there is also some false information out there regarding palo santo as well. There seems to be a general consensus that palo santo is endangered. This is half true, allow me to explain. There are actually two trees in South America that are named Palo Santo, one being the Bulnesia Sarmientoi which is actually endangered, and Bursera Graveolens which is not endangered. The latter is the tree that your palo santo sticks should come from. There are actually laws against cutting down palo santo trees, they can only harvest dead, fallen limbs and trees. In order to get the most healing properties from palo santo, it must lay on the forest floor for four to ten years, this allows the natural oils to really develop as it dries in the sun over several years (4).
If you choose to use palo santo, make sure that you purchase from someone who sustainably sources it. Two websites that I recommend are tamedwild.com and ecuadorianhands.com. And if someone claims to be selling Bulnesia Sarmientoi, run for the hills! If you’d rather avoid it altogether, a wonderful alternative is frankincense because it belongs to the same family as palo santo.
Sweetgrass
You have probably seen the braids of sweetgrass and if you’ve ever been lucky enough to actually smell it, then you know just how delightfully sweet and good it smells. Sweetgrass is considered sacred among several Native American tribes and is commonly used for smudging and purifying. Believe it or not, sweetgrass actually IS endangered (5). Due to its status, you may want to consider skipping using this in your practice altogether, unless its a part of your culture. Or at least make sure that you’re buying from sustainable sources.
Closed Religions and Cultures
What is a closed religion? A closed religion is a religion that does not allow outsiders to practice their religion or worship their god(s)/goddess(es) without proper guidance and initiation. Closed religions are not free to be practiced by just anyone, you should either have grown up in the culture or be taught/guided by an authority figure in the culture or religion. Entitled people think that just because they have read a lot about a religion and that it resonates with them, they should be able to practice it. Not only is this ignorant, but it’s also disrespectful. Below is a short list of closed religions that I see being appropriated in the witch community. There are many more comprehensive lists available online (6).
Native American Spiritualities: Every tribe has its own beliefs and you should have either grown up in the culture or at least ask permission and seek the guidance of an elder or authority figure in the culture before practicing.
Voodoo/Vodou:
Voodoo/Vodou is an ATR (African Traditional Religion) that originated in Haiti and West Africa and was brought to the US by slaves. This religion is deeply steeped in black culture and there is a lot about this religion that is not shared openly. Even if you think you’ve done a lot of research on this religion, there is still so much that you won’t know about it because it’s kept secret. You should not even attempt to practice this religion without seeking the guidance of a priest or priestess or someone within the religion.
Santeria:
Santeria is also an ATR and it was started by Yoruba slaves in Cuba. It should not be confused with Voodoo/Vodou, these two religions are not the same thing. What they do have in common, though, is that they should not be appropriated by people who are not a part of the culture.
Hoodoo:
Hoodoo is not a religion, and technically, it’s not closed either. But, it is deeply steeped in black culture and ancestry. It should not be appropriated by someone who does not belong to this culture or hasn’t been properly taught.
* 2/24/2020 I have edited this section since its original posting because I see now that some of the ways that I presented my points sounded divisive and exclusive. I want to make it very clear that you CAN practice any of these religions or practices, no matter your race, gender, etc. but it could be offensive to attempt to throw yourself into a religion or practice when you have no knowledge or appreciation of the culture. You may share a common ancestry, grow up in the culture, feel drawn to these practices, etc. and all of these are wonderful reasons to explore these religions and practices more deeply. Just do your research and follow the proper channels.
Healing Crystals:
This one hits close to home for me because I am such a crystal enthusiast. For decades I collected crystals without even considering where they came from. Now, through research and things being brought to light, I know the truth and can make more educated purchases.
A lot of our crystals come from countries where the labor laws and environmental regulations are lax to nonexistent. In the Republic of The Congo, children as young as 7 years old work in the mines (7). A lot of our crystals don’t even come from crystal mining operations, they come from much larger mines that are mining for more profitable items like gold or copper and our crystals are a by-product of their operations. These large companies oftentimes do not disclose their by-products or who they sell them to. Not only are these large mining operations terrible for the environment, contaminate drinking water, and destroy entire ecosystems, they also exploit the workers who risk their lives every day in the mines! Crystals are a non-renewable source, so although sustainability is arguable, there are measures you can take to make sure that you are not further supporting the exploitation of children and adults alike.
The best way, of course, would be to find your own crystals by rockhounding and visiting public mines that allow you to dig for your own crystals. But I know that this is not accessible to everyone. The other way would be to speak to your vendors, ask them where the crystals they’re selling were mined and if they were mined ethically. If they are a reputable vendor, they should be able to tell you exactly where the crystals came from. When buying online, contact the seller and inquire about where they source their crystals and if they know if they were mined in an ethical way. One website that I know sells ethically sourced crystals is rockparadise.com.
Basically, at one point or another, a lot of us have been guilty of appropriating someone else’s culture or inadvertently supporting unethical practices, myself included. This doesn’t make us bad people, maybe just a little misinformed. The most important thing we can do moving forward is to learn from our mistakes and take the necessary steps to make sure that we are always being respectful.
Please do not mistake cultural appropriation with gatekeeping, as they are not the same thing. Gatekeeping is the act of trying to limit someone’s access to something, particularly something that is free to all. Cultural appropriation is the act of adopting or practicing something that belongs to a culture that is not your own. I encourage you to look into every single one of these cultures, religions, and practices so that you can practice cultural APPRECIATION instead of cultural APPROPRIATION.
Love and light.
(1) Uhl, C. (2019) Why It’s OK To Burn Sage And Palo Santo But, Read This First: https://zennedout.com/why-its-ok-to-burn-sage-and-palo-santo-but-read-this-first/
(2) USDA (2019) Current Status Of White Sage https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=SAAPA
(3) Species At-Risk List https://unitedplantsavers.org/species-at-risk-list/
(4) Unknown (Unkown) 11 You Never Knew About Palo Santo https://prabhujisgifts.com/blogs/prabhujis-gifts-blog/116806468-11-things-you-never-knew-about-palo-santo
(5) USDA (2019) https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=HIOD
(6) Comprehensive List of Closed Religions https://thepaganstudygrouppage.tumblr.com/post/59350639767/anonymous-asked-can-you-perhaps-provide-a
(7) Atkin, E. (2018) Do You Know Where Your Healing Crystals Come From? https://newrepublic.com/article/148190/know-healing-crystals-come-from
Cover Photo by Kayla Maurais on Unsplash
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