SWEETGRASS

Pen and Ink sweetgrass braid from SPIRIT OF THE SOUTH

Baskets, mats, and hats
Sweet weaving and prayer
Love, peace, and harmony
From Mother Earth's hair

Sweetgrass is one of the four sacred herbs in Eastern Woodland Native American spirituality.  The other three are tobacco, cedar, and sage.  The tradition that I follow puts sweetgrass in the southern position on the medicine wheel.  There are several species of perennial grasses that are commonly called sweetgrass in North America and Northern Europe.  The one that is generally used for ceremonial purposes is Heirochloe odorata. (I believe that I saw two different spellings, so... It will look something like that.)  It is sometimes also referred to as vanilla grass, holy grass, or buffalo grass.  This is a fine grass that is about two feet tall and thrives in moist soil conditions in the Northern Hemisphere.

This beautiful grass has a number of uses besides ceremony, which I will get into later in the article.  Yes it is a favorite forage grass for both domestic and wild herbivores.  It also has a long history of use by Native Americans and Celtic Europeans for weaving.  This grass makes beautiful baskets, mats, and hats that are practical and have a nice scent when they are used.  It can be used in closets and drawers to keep linens and clothes smelling fresh.  Sweet grass does have some medicinal qualities as well, but it contains toxic compounds when ingested by humans.  It should only be used with trained guidance.

Now for the real reason that sweetgrass is cherished and revered.  As one of the four sacred herbs, it gives a lift to ceremony and purification rituals.  In Native American culture, sweetgrass is seen as the hair of Mother Earth.  It is always cut and never pulled.  It is frequently braided and secured before it is cut, but not always. 

The sweet scent of this grass is believed to promote love, peace, and harmony by Native Americans.  The Celtic cultures associated sweetgrass with strength, purity, and positivity.  It is often burned with sage for smudging, or, I follow the sage smudge with a sweetgrass smudge to bring in the positive spirits and energies into my life.  In some cultures, it is burned as a smudge or incense as a purification ritual to ready people and spaces for ceremony.

When the Cree, Ojibway, and some other Native American cultures prepare sweetgrass for ceremony, it is collected with ritual and the three strands of the braid usually represent love, peace, and harmony.  When Celtic traditions prepare sweetgrass for ceremony, the three strands represent strength, positivity, and Gaia.  

Either way, sweetgrass represents bringing good into life and spaces.

According to Whitehorse Woman, a Native American elder and Medicine Woman, "use sage to remove unwanted energy and sweetgrass to invite wanted energy."  (Native American Today)

Smudging, incense, and purification rituals are culture dependent.  You should do your own research and talk to elders to find out what is the best practice for you to follow.  Here are my sources for this article and a good place to start.
outofstress.com
learnreligions.com
nativeamericatoday.com
creehealth.org
native-languages.org

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