TRIBAL TEACHINGS

The term 'smudging' is used by the Indigenous people of Canada and North America to describe the practice of burning sacred herbs and medicines in order to produce a cleansing smoke. The practice of smudging has been used by Indigenous peoples worldwide for centuries, and many cultures still use it commonly today for both ceremonial and everyday use.

Different tribes often have slightly different rituals and beliefs surrounding their smudging tradition, but no one is necessarily considered "right" or "better" than the others. At Tribal Trade Co., the smudging tradition we teach was passed down to us by elders from the Anishnaabe, Ojibwe community of Curve Lake First Nation.

Thanks to the wisdom passed on to us by our elders, we have had the chance to help thousands of people to find their perfect sacred medicines, and to discover the healing and cleansing properties of smudging. Here, we've gathered a few quick facts that will help you understand the basics of smudging so you can confidently continue to explore the Indigenous culture and educate friends, family, and neighbors on what you have learned. Click here to learn more about smudging.

The spiritual cleansing of a person or space is perhaps the most well-known benefit of smudging, but people can smudge for specific reasons as well.

In order to smudge you need to gather one of the sacred medicines, have a bowl and a lighter or matches. When you smudge you are cleansing and all of your thoughts and prayers will rise up to the creator with the smoke from your smudge.

The "ingredients" involved in smudging are sometimes referred to as a Smudge Kit, a Medicine Bag, a Smudging Bundle, or any other variety of names. At Tribal Trade Co., our customers can purchase smudge kits that contain everything you need to get started. A typical basic smudge kit includes:

• An abalone shell to hold the medicine you plan to burn (can be substituted with clay or metal bowl)
• An eagle feather to waft the smoke (can be substituted with turkey feathers)
• Your choice of sacred medicines (one or more)
• Matches to light your smudge bowl

In the Indigenous tradition, we believe that Mother Earth has provided us bountiful gifts, including the sacred medicines: tobacco, cedar, sage, and sweetgrass. Cedar, sage, and sweetgrass are most commonly used for smudging, while tobacco is more often utilized during prayer or as an offering. These three medicines commonly used for smudging are all thought to attract positive energy while deflecting negative energy, and can be used for healing, cleansing, meditation, reflection, and more. Learn more about harvesting cedar here.

The eagle feather is considered the most sacred because the eagle flies the highest in the sky therefore getting the closest to the Creator. We believe the Creator sent the eagle to be the messenger and connection between us. If you don't have an eagle feather to smudge with, then a turkey feather works as well. We believe that all feathers are sacred. Still curious? Click here to learn more about smudging feathers.

The first elder was given gifts of knowledge by the Seven Grandfathers. These gifts were to help the people live a good life and to respect the Creator, the earth and each other. The Seven Grandfathers told the First Elder that "Each of these teachings must be used with the rest; you can not have wisdom without love, respect, bravery, honesty, humility, and truth...to leave one out is to embrace the opposite of what that teaching is.". These teachings are important to Ojibwa culture and must be practiced and taught to our children.

Depending on the area and different tribes, the medicine wheel teachings differ. We share the top 5 important teachings on our blog.

Dream catchers represent many things and are significant in Anishnaabe culture. Dreamcatchers are meant to trap nightmares in their web and let good dreams through the holes between the web. For more information on dreamcatchers, watch this video.

Dreamcatchers can also be a great way to decorate your home. Need a new place to hang your Dreamcatcher? Get some ideas here.

A tribe is any existing or historical tribe, band, nation, or other group or community of Indigenous peoples. Modern forms of these entities are often associated with land or territory of a reservation. There are many different North American tribes to learn about.