X̱peyʼ (Cedar) Bundle

X̱peyʼ (pronounced “kh-pay”) is the Coast Salish word for Cedar, a sacred medicine traditionally honored for its cleansing, protective, and grounding properties. Its smoke carries a deep, woodsy aroma with a fresh, slightly peppery finish—used to clear energy and restore balance to a space. 

According to Coast Salish oral history, Red Cedar first emerged from the burial site of a deeply generous man—one who gave freely to his community in times of need. The Creator ensured his spirit would continue to care for the people through the tree that grew in his place.

That spirit of care lives on in the many ways Cedar supports wellness. Forest bathing—immersing oneself in wooded environments—has been shown to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and improve mental clarity. Tree compounds like phytoncides, naturally released by cedars and other conifers, support immune function and foster a sense of calm and well-being.

📦 BUNDLE SPECS

• Approximately 4 inches in length

• Hand-harvested on private land in the coastal Northwest

• Wrapped with natural unbleached cotton string

• Packaged with a tag noting your contribution to reparative justice

📜 HISTORY OF COLONIZATION

• Oregon Donation Land Act (1850): This act granted land to white settlers, legitimizing 640-acre claims and dispossessing Indigenous nations like the Coast Salish of their ancestral forestlands.
  

• Treaty of Medicine Creek (1854): Signed under pressure, this treaty forced Nisqually, Puyallup, and other Coast Salish peoples to cede vast territories, leading to relocation and restricted access to sacred lands.
  

• Reserve Reductions: In British Columbia and the Northwest, colonial administrators like Joseph Trutch slashed the size of Indigenous reserves and actively denied Indigenous land rights to accommodate settler expansion.

• Deforestation & Extraction: Logging industries wiped out old-growth cedar forests. These forests were not only ecological keystones but also sacred sites for Coast Salish communities.

• Exploited Labor: After land theft and displacement, Coast Salish and other Indigenous peoples were pushed into logging and milling labor on lands that were once theirs. Chinese migrants and Black laborers—many of whom had fled slavery or racial terror in the South—were also exploited in these extractive industries, often given the most dangerous or underpaid roles without legal protections.
  

• Environmental Degradation: The loss of cedar forests caused soil erosion, disrupted salmon streams, and severed cultural links to medicine groves, causing long-term trauma to both ecosystems and communities.

⚖️ REPARATIVE JUSTICE EFFORTS

• Squaxin Island Tribe Land Reclamation (2021): The Squaxin Island Tribe successfully reacquired 1,000 acres of ancestral forestlands, including two miles of shoreline and 125 acres of tidelands on Little Skookum Inlet. This land, previously taken following the 1854 Medicine Creek Treaty, was returned by Port Blakely Companies. The tribe intends to use the land for conservation and ceremonial purposes, restoring access to traditional cedar harvesting areas.
  
  
• Land Return to Grand Ronde (2023): The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde reclaimed the 23-acre Blue Heron Mill site at Willamette Falls, one of the most sacred sites in the Pacific Northwest, restoring access to ceremonial fishing grounds and village lands.
  
  

• Haida Nation Land Agreement (2024): In a historic move, the British Columbia government affirmed the Haida Nation's ownership of Haida Gwaii, restoring sovereignty over their traditional territories and enabling protection of cedar forests vital to Haida lifeways.

• Federal Land Back Legislation (2024): Congress introduced the Quinault Indian Nation Land Back Act, supporting the return of 72 acres of ancestral land on the Pacific coast that was stolen through broken treaties.