Sweetgrass sales rile Native leaders

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The sale of sweetgrass and smudges as incense has caused a bit of a stink for a couple of south Edmonton stores.

"It's a no-no situation, because they're sacred," said Tom Cardinal, the new president of the Indian Association of Alberta, when he learned of the goods for sale.

The Fort Door, a Canadian store, is selling braided sticks of sweetgrass for $4 each.

Owner Tom Sawchuk said he's sold sweetgrass since he first opened his shop 15 years ago.

"I'm going to continue to sell sweetgrass. This is my livelihood," said Sawchuk.

"Ojibway people use it for baskets; Cree people use it for a sweatlodge. It's spiritual to them and I understand it.

Sawchuk said gift shops, trade shows, and many places outside of Edmonton sell sweetgrass. He wondered whey they haven't attracted attention.

"The people come in and work me over on the furs. They work me on the ivory," he said, referring to other products he stocks in his shop.

Alikatu, a trendy Whyte Avenue shop, offers two different lines of smudges, one from British Columbia, available since last spring, the other from New Mexico, also available since last year. Neither contain sweetgrass.

The smudges from New Mexico under the name of Native Scents and consist of sage and cedar, as well as pinon pine with lavender and sell for $11.50.

Alikatu manager Viola Mah said they don't sell sweetgrass because "it has a lot of religious significance. As far as smudges go, it has some significant as well, but similar to that of a church candle."

People purchase the 10-inch long bundles and burn them as incense, said Mah.

"It's something to scent their homes."

Mah said that before she stocked the smudges, the consulted one of her staff members who is Metis and who attends the University of Alberta Native Studies Program.

"My understanding of this, and I could be wrong, is it is not as loaded with meaning as sweetgrass."

However, Indian Association of Alberta secretary Helen Gladue disagreed.

"You don't just go and get sweetgrass or smudges because you feel like it.

There's a formula that you have to follow It should not be in those places," Gladue said.

James Dempsey, the director of the School of Native Studies for the University of Alberta, said generally sweetgrass and smudges are used to purify individuals and their spirits.

He said Natives might use them before any occasion, from a meeting to a sweatlodge ceremony.

"You're asking for aid and protection from the spirit world," he explained.

"He thinks the selling of sweetgrass and smudges is a grey area.

"People who are selling this run into two ways of thought," Dempsey said.

"One is you don't sell things to make money. The other is you may be given the right to do this from some individual."

But Gladue continued to argue sweetgrass and smudges are non-commercial objects and should remain so.

"The white man has done enough damage to our culture. We'd better not come in contact with these people because they might get themselves out of business."

The Indian Association of Alberta's Cardinal said he'd definitely follow up on the matter and ask the stores to refrain from selling sweetgrass and smudges.

"If it's a question of religious sensitivity, then it's something we're unaware of and obviously we'd discontinue selling it," said Mah.