Natural History Wanderings

from the Yerba CNPS  Chapter

Saging The World  September 8th, THURSDAY, 7:30pm

With documentarians: Rose Ramirez and Deborah Small

Zoom Reservation Required: Link HereThis film is the focal point of a campaign to deter the global rush on white sage (Salvia apiana), driven by widespread cultural appropriation of smudging. The documentary runs 20 minutes. Immediately following the screening, advocates from the film will be available to answer questions.

“For decades California’s first people have been fighting the pseudo-Native use of white sage,” said one of the film’s producers, Rose Ramirez (Chumash and Yaqui descent). “With the explosion of articles and how-to videos by non-Native people, on social media and the Internet, the demand has increased to an alarming degree.” Sage bundles can be found everywhere–at grocery stores, online retailers, specialty shops, and outdoor markets. The practice of saging–burning dried sage leaves to “purify” or “cleanse” the air has gone mainstream and become a common sight in movies, reality shows, and yoga classes. Yet, the appropriated use of saging in popular culture is having the opposite effect, harming both Indigenous communities and the sacred plant.

Saging the World was created by Rose Ramirez (artist, photographer, filmmaker, writer, and California Indian Basket weaver of Chumash and Yaqui descent) and Deborah Small (artist, photographer, writer, and professor emerita in the School of Arts at CSUSM) in partnership with the California Native Plant Society. “We hope the film and the campaign will inspire people to boycott wildcrafted sage products, grow their own native plants, and rethink their relationship with white sage and plants more broadly,” said CNPS Director of Education & Engagement David Bryant.

To learn more about Saging the World, please visit www.cnps.org/sagingtheworld