by Katarina Ziervogel

 

On this website, there is an e-ceremony and e-smudge available to honour the families and of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous women with four Sacred Medicines (Tobacco, Sage, Cedar, Sweetgrass) to choose from. Four Sacred Medicines comes from one of the First Nations’ tribe Anishinaabe. But the sacred medicines are used widely for all Indigenous people within their prayers, rituals, and healing circles within the community and our people. Many cultures and religions use plant medicines for several reasons. In Anishinaabe and for all Indigenous people, this is best known as smudging. Each of four Sacred Medicine has its own healing for specific areas to a human being or the environment.

Sweetgrass is the North of the four Sacred Medicines. It shares a deep and sacred connection to Mother Earth, and some people may wonder why it shares a resemble to braided hair. When your body, mind and spirit are all connected—it cannot be pulled apart, hence braided sweetgrass representing them. Mother Earth represents love, kindness, and compassion. In the healing circle, sweetgrass is used for smudging and purification.

 

Katarina Ziervogel is a Toronto-based writer who was an intern in Taken’s writing department last season, and is now studying at @RyersonU. Katarina was an @myorangedaisy documentary subject and keynote speaker, and a recent nominee for the YM-YWCA Women of Distinction Awards. Follow her journey as a deaf, Indigenous female filmmaker from Winnipeg living her dreams in Toronto on Twitter @katarinaun . Each week, Katarina will share a new blog with Taken’s audience that relates to Canada’s MMIWG2S. This week is part two in a four part series on sacred medicines.

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