Directors: Rose Ramirez, Deborah Small, David Bryant

[This film is being offered in various locations throughout Southern California, or you can view it virtually through the International Herb Symposium Film and Photography Festival, anywhere in the world where you have internet access. For $20, you can have access to the entire film festival.]

This documentary opens with the most striking visual, white sage (salvia apiana) that is taller than an adult’s head. What makes this documentary effective is not a lengthly discussion about cultural appropriation (cringe-worthy political words) but presents an issue that in the broad view of things, is most concerning in our natural world: the poaching and over harvesting of white sage that could cause its disappearance.

Not unlike the poaching of the Dudleya farinosa, this wave of poaching is for resale throughout the world and usually through the internet. Smudging away evil spirits and smudge sticks using white sage has become a fad that is seen in the media. Because of the demand, white sage is being harvested at a high rate, sometimes by people who have no experience with the plants and damage the plants.

Personally, I never understood the concept of smudge sticks, mainly because I didn’t understand how it worked. Speaking to other people, I did not get a definitive answer as to how to use it and what special words or practice would go with it. It turns out, this is not uncommon. People have been lighting the bundle and expecting it to magically remove ailments.

This film is told through members of several Southern California tribe members explaining that white sage goes beyond a smoke-filled burning fad. It has medicinal value and has antibacterial, antiseptic, and anti-fungal properties. It is most often used during traditional ceremonies. And the burning of it is used in minimal amounts, through one sprig at a time.

Like with any living thing that we take from the earth, the taking should be done responsibly through a sustainable source such as SageWind Farms that cultivates white sage or grown in your own yard for your personal use.

As I watch this film, I am reminded of the fragility of nature and how once something becomes off-balanced, it could lead to its disappearance. I am also reminded that to live a purposeful life is to have respect for all living things.

Link to the virtual viewing: https://www.ihsfilmfestival.org/2022-festival-entries