Many of you have probably come across “smudge bundles” made from leaves and twigs of various plants that, when burned, produce aromatic smoke that some Native American peoples use for ceremonial cleansing and purification. Since the 1960s, when hippies wished to emulate aspects of Indigenous culture, and furthered by the New Age movement’s idolizing “natural” products, smudging has become increasingly widespread among non-Natives. In a classic example of cultural appropriation, the practice is now widely promoted in movies, TV, magazines, social media, and other popular venues to buyers who think it will bring spiritual benefits. Smudge bundles are now being sold worldwide — not only in small local herb shops and yoga studios but in chain retail stores (World Market), supermarkets (Whole Foods, Bristol Farms), big-box stores (Walmart!), and through huge online enterprises (Amazon and Etsy).
Do any of the buyers who think they will gain health and spiritual benefits from smudging ever think about where the smudge bundles come from? Most of these now-ubiquitous products are made from native plants, particularly Great Basin sagebrush and white sage, which are almost entirely harvested from the wild. Sustainable farming of these species, while theoretically possible, is currently all but nonexistent.
The only place in the world that white sage (Salvia apiana) grows naturally is in our region, from San Luis Obispo County to northern Baja California. Nearly half of its original habitat has already been lost to urban development. As with many other native plants, remaining populations are threatened by climate change, drought, and wildfire, but the most immediate impact to white sage is large-scale, illegal harvesting of wild plants to make smudge bundles for commercial sale.