sweetgrass in indigenous culture in north america
TRANSCRIPT
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SWEET GRASS (Hierochloe odorata)
Samantha Bray
Samantha Bray, BSc.
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OUTLINEHistory of sweet grass
Characteristics of the plantRole in aboriginal cultureHarvesting sweet grassBraiding (at a later date)
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HISTORYGeneral belief that sweet grass is a plant
native to North America.Circumpolar Plant: sweet grass is found in
Europe and North America.Migrated to North America 11,000-15,800
years ago when North America and Europe were joined as a single continent.
Carried over by boat from Europe to North America then planted in Great Lakes region.
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HISTORYIn Europe it is called Holy grass, and
the dried leaves have been strewn on the floors of churches.
In North America, sweet grass is called "Hair of the Mother Earth”
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HISTORYHumans were responsible for the
cultivation of sweet grass.Selected for long leaves.Almost always transplanted instead of
started from seed.Reduced the fertility of the plant so that it
does not make viable seeds. Usually needs to be harvested twice a
year.
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SWEETGRASS CHARACTERISTICSAlso called: bison grass, we'nuskwûn or wekusko.Vanilla scented.
Identifiers:1. Base of leaves are broad, white, shiny and lack
hairs.2. Underside of leaves are shiny without hairs.3. When leaves grow long they flip and expose the
flat, shiny underside. 4. Distinctive flowers
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ROLE IN ABORIGINAL CULTUREOne of the four sacred First Nations medicines
(sweet grass, sage, cedar, tobacco). When one takes sweet grass from the Earth
there must be an offering. Explain to spirit why it is being picked, how it
will be used.Tobacco offering in return for generosity of the
Earth and the plant.
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ROLE IN ABORIGINAL CULTURESweet grass is
usually braided.Three sections
represent:Mind, body and soul.Love, kindness, and
honesty. The 3 sections of the
braid have 7 strands of grass per section of braid.
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ROLE IN ABORIGINAL CULTURESweet grass is used in smudging, healing or talking circles.
Its smoke is believed to purify thoughts, the environment and to eliminate bad or negative thoughts.
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BASKET MAKING
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HARVESTINGSweet grass
should always be cut, not pulled from the ground.
Pulling damages root system.
Figure 1. Sweetgrass regrowth for plants that were harvested by pulling and cutting at 0”, 1”, 2”, 3” and 4”.
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HARVESTINGCan be done at any time during growing
season.Cut leaves about 2-3 inches above ground
level.Dry in 1” layers, turning the leaves every 30 to
60 minutes until they start curling and drying.Then move to shade to finish drying on newspaper.
Prevents loss of the vanilla scent.
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BRAIDING SWEETGRASSTypical Canadian Wildcrafted Braids
50-65 sweet grass leaves. Average about 2 feet long. Leaves must be dried for a few hours in the
sun. Comb the leaves.Line up cut ends and wrap a fresh sweet grass
stem two times around bundle 2-3” from the cut ends.
Loop the tip into a single knot to keep braid from unraveling.
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QUESTIONS?