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 COLONIZATION

• Land Seizure: The Great Lakes region was claimed through overlapping French and British colonial claims, followed by U.S. land grabs codified by treaties such as the Treaty of Greenville (1795), Treaty of Fort Detroit (1807), and Treaty of Chicago (1833).
  

• Indian Removal Act (1830): This law legalized the forced relocation of Indigenous nations across the Southeast and Great Lakes, including the Anishinaabe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples.
  

• Forced Displacement: Events like the Potawatomi Trail of Death (1838) and Sandy Lake Tragedy (1850) were part of a broader effort to clear Indigenous nations from the Midwest.

• Environmental Degradation: Industrialization, damming, and farming runoff have harmed wetland ecosystems and Sweetgrass habitats. The Great Lakes, once pristine, now suffer from invasive species, water pollution, and toxic sedimentation.

⚖️ REPARATIVE JUSTICE EFFORTS

• White Earth Land Recovery Project (WELRP): In Minnesota, the White Earth Band of Ojibwe has led one of the longest-running Indigenous land recovery efforts in the U.S. Founded by Anishinaabe activist Winona LaDuke, WELRP has returned thousands of acres of land to Anishinaabe stewardship. The land supports the restoration of traditional harvesting practices, including Wiingaashk (Sweetgrass), and the reintroduction of native seeds and medicines.

• 1836 and 1855 Treaty Rights Affirmed: Legal victories by the Bay Mills Indian Community and other Anishinaabe nations have reaffirmed treaty rights to hunt, fish, and gather—including Sweetgrass—on ceded lands across the Great Lakes. These rulings have re-established Indigenous stewardship over traditional harvesting territories.

• Land Rematriation & Protection of Sacred Sites: Organizations like the Indian Land Tenure Foundation support tribes in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan in restoring Indigenous land ownership and sovereignty. Their legal advocacy and land recovery efforts help return sacred harvesting grounds—like those where Wiingaashk grows—back to tribal stewardship.