Wiingaashk (Sweetgrass) Braid

Wiingaashk (pronounced “ween-gahshk”) is the Anishinaabe word for Sweetgrass, one of the four sacred medicines alongside Cedar, Sage, and Tobacco. Revered as the “Sacred Hair of Mother Earth,” Wiingaashk is traditionally used to uplift the spirit, purify spaces, and carry prayers to the Creator. Its scent is soft, sweet, and vanilla-like—welcoming peace, love, and clarity wherever it’s burned.

In Anishinaabe tradition, Sweetgrass is braided in three strands to represent the unity of mind, body, and spirit. Each braid may contain seven finer strands, symbolizing the Seven Sacred Teachings: love, respect, humility, truth, honesty, courage, and wisdom. Burned in ceremony, Wiingaashk is a medicine of gentleness and connection, drawing people into harmony with themselves and the world around them.

These sacred qualities are mirrored in the plant’s physical properties. Sweetgrass contains coumarins—natural compounds known for their antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and mood-lifting effects. These plant properties support emotional healing and energetic renewal, offering softness and strength in every breath of her fragrant braid.

📦 BUNDLE SPECS

• Approximately 4 to 7 inches in length

• Hand-harvested by a First Nations community in Canada

• Tied with natural white cotton string

• Packaged with a tag noting your contribution to reparative justice

📜 HISTORY OF HARM

• Land Theft: The Northwest Ordinance (1787) and creation of Michigan Territory (1805) imposed U.S. authority over Great Lakes lands without tribal consent. Treaties like Greenville (1795), Fort Detroit (1807), and Chicago (1833) were used to legalize the seizure of Anishinaabe, Odawa, and Potawatomi territories.

• War & Forced Displacement: Under the Indian Removal Act (1830), U.S. forces expelled Great Lakes tribes through violence and coercion. Events like the Potawatomi Trail of Death (1838) and Sandy Lake Tragedy (1850) resulted in mass death and relocation under military and state enforcement.
  

• Slavery & Indentured Servitude: French colonial and U.S. territorial policies enabled the trafficking and indenture of Indigenous and Métis women and children. U.S. land laws such as the Homestead Act (1862) excluded Native and free Black people from land ownership while distributing stolen lands to white settlers.

• Environmental Degradation: Federal and state governments transferred land to settlers, railroads, and industry under laws like the Swamp Land Acts and Pacific Railway Acts. These policies drained wetlands, cleared prairies, and introduced industrial pollution that severed Indigenous ecological and spiritual ties to the land.

⚖️ REPARATIVE JUSTICE

• Apology & Acknowledgment: In a landmark ruling, the court found that the Crown failed to uphold the 1850 Robinson Treaties, formally acknowledging decades of underpaid annuities and broken treaty promises. The decision recognized economic harm and affirmed the need for reparative negotiations.

• Land Return: Founded in 1989 by Winona LaDuke, the White Earth Land Recovery Project works to reclaim stolen lands through purchase, advocacy, and legal strategy. It supports Anishinaabe sovereignty, food systems, and cultural revitalization.

• Reparations: Following the Robinson Treaties ruling, both provincial and federal governments were ordered to negotiate retroactive and ongoing financial compensation. This marks a formal step toward reparations for economic exploitation of treaty lands.

• Environmental Lawsuits: A federal judge ruled that Enbridge was trespassing on the Bad River Band’s reservation, ordering Line 5 pipeline operations to cease due to environmental risk. The case affirms tribal sovereignty over land and natural resource protection.