Exposed: The Shocking Truth About Smudging and Cultural Appropriation
So I'm going to begin by owning that I detest the whole concept of shaming people for "cultural appropriation" because I think it's actually an underhanded attempt at reinstating segregation, but cleverly marketed under the pretext that it's for the benefit of the ethnic groups to keep themselves "separate but equal."
Still, whether you agree with the anti-appropriation movement or not, sometimes things get wrongly labeled as being exclusive to some culture that in fact does not have an exclusive claim to it. This brings us to smudging and smudge-sticks, which certain people perceive as belonging to indigenous people of the Americas. Some people have therefore expressed outrage at the notion that witchcraft or herbalists have "appropriated" smudging from Native Americans. Yet, anyone who is concerned about the matter must know this: --
"Smudge" is an English word. It is not the native term in any of the tribal languages for the so-called smudge ceremony. Rather, it is how the English described what these various tribes were doing (making smoke.) Strictly speaking the term "smudge" is synonymous with "smoke" and especially applied to thick, sooty types of it. Smudge-pot is derived from the same word. As a verb, "smudge" (meaning, to apply smoke) dates to at least the 16th century. By the 19th century it was considered an obsolete term outside of America.- Old European beliefs that bad smells created disease meant that using fragrant matter to purify spaces was very customary, well before Europeans came in contact with the Americas.
- The use of herbal mixtures called "smudge" by anglos is known from at least the mid-19th century, not necessarily in a ceremonial context. This 1845 book describes it simply for keeping insects at bay. European magico-medical use of herbs being burnt to make healing or purifying smoke is even older -- Hildegard of Bingen, writing in the 12th century, describes burning herbs to produce healing smudge, and she names sage as an herb with a curative scent (I have previously posted her recipe for a pomander to inspire calm and happiness, made with sage and rose.) The book Anatomy of Melancholy (1621) describes the smoke of juniper used to "sweeten the air" for the "cure of melancholy." Some Goetic/Solomonic texts describe purifying with hyssop in an indefinite way that might be taken to mean smudging, as Clavicle of Solomon's "fumigate it with fumigations of ye knife, that ye must cut and make maicum Isopi, with your whole minde and humble deuotion."
- Some of the oldest versions of what would be termed "magic wands" in old world practice were made from similar bundles of herb branches. In Europe, herb bundles resembling smudge sticks have been known since at least the middle ages, if not earlier.
Whether it's supposed to be the "smudge stick" or the action of "smudging" that causes offense, the evidence depicts that neither is a unique invention. The use of such tools is a very widespread even far back into history, and nor is there anything exclusive to naming the practice smudging. I have focused here on European claims since that's who typically gets blamed for inappropriately using smudge, but among others it's also an African practice, an Asian practice, and theoretically even Aborigines would be barred from using this allegedly American practice. It must also be emphasized that since "smudge" is a mere descriptive English word, there are many practices worldwide that are close or identical to Native American smudge ceremonies but which didn't happen to get translated with the specific word smudge and instead get called moxibustion, fumigation, smoke cleansing, etc.
Most at-home use of smudge sticks, even for spiritual purposes, has little in common with the true ceremonies of American Indians; the association of the smudge sticks with them has more to do with the marketing practices of the shops that choose to sell these herb bundles as spiritual items instead of as mosquito repellent (which was how they were commonly employed in the early 20th century, before chemical bug sprays became the norm.) "Smudge kits" that include additional items for performing full ceremonies might be another matter, but that of course will depend on the individual kit, and I can't speak of them generally. Some are just new-age nonsense with little tradition behind them, while others are attempting to provide the tools required for recreating genuine rituals. But at that, if still you are too woke to be able to use smudge sticks without a pang of guilt, let's come to the kicker: the New Mexico Indian Pueblo Cultural Center's official store sells smudge sticks and kits to the public, presumably expecting them to be used. If they considered it offensive for non-indigenous people to use these items, then one presumes they would not sell them in this manner. So, you can now even buy them guilt-free from an American Indian approved shop that supports actual tribal members.
This is not to say that all American Indians or First Nations approve of the above practice, but at some point it's akin to dealing with a person who tries to impose the restrictions of his own religion on the lives of others while claiming it's a violation of his rights to see others not obeying his religion. It is proven that some indigenous people don't mind other kinds of people smudging, and even encourage it. Moreover, if you are not operating under the pretense that your own spiritual smudge practice is derived from any Native American traditions, then it's really none of their business at all whether it happens to resemble their customs. There is no trademark on the spiritual uses of herbs, nor is smudge a term specific to Native American practices.