James Carpenter
Sweetgrass is a long, tall, skinny grass that grows in wet environments. It has a unique scent that no other living organism can replicate. The Plains Indians, who were the Ojibway Tribe at the time, first founded Sweetgrass. Some medicine men truly believe that sweetgrass can cure sickness or weakness with its adorned smell.
Purpose
Sweetgrass serves to enhance your relations with Mother Earth and Nature and to improve your well being. When around sweetgrass, the scent soothes and relaxes the entire body. It is almost like a sweat lodge or a peace pipe.
Uses
There are many ways sweetgrass is used among common Aboriginal Traditions. Many people believe sweetgrass to be a negative preventive agent. In other words, if you light sweetgrass into your surroundings daily, you should not have many problems that will affect the way you think or the way you expected the day to end up. People believe that if you are in bad spirits or feeling out of sorts, one smell of sweetgrass will cheer you up. Sweetgrass is also used as a spiritual healer and as a condolence to the sick. Sweetgrass is the most common traditional herb among Aboriginal people throughout the world.
Circles
One of the main purposes of sweetgrass is its use in a circle. A circle is a gathering of family and friends that come together to greet the creator with an offering or to ask for help in a time of need. During the circle, a volunteer passes around the sweetgrass while everyone smudges themselves ― you wrap the smoke around your body and pass it around as if it were water. Smudging is almost like you are purifying your body.
Sweetgrass and the ritual that surrounds it is an important part in the tradition of the Aboriginal heritage.