Small Canadian Sweetgrass Braid - Traditional 21 Strands

To reduce environmental waste, we have a minimum purchase of two sweet grass braids. As you purchase additional braids of sweetgrass, a discount will be automatically applied.

Material: Sweetgrass (hierochloe odorata) & description about how to use it

Dimensions:Approx. 20 inches long x 1/2 inch wide

Purchased from Indigenous Sellers

These sweetgrass braids are from Canada and are handpicked, dried, braided and blessed by members and elders from the Sapotaweyak Cree Nation, Woodland Cree Nation and the Ojibwa Nation.

About 21 Strand Sweet Grass Braids

This sweet grass is braided using the traditional method of using 21 strands of sweetgrass - making them also smaller than the larger sweetgrass braids listed on this site.

The use of the 21 strands represents:

• the 7 generations that came before us
• the next 7 strands represent the 7 teachings of love, respect, honesty, courage, wisdom, truth, and humility
• and the last 7 strands are the 7 generations in front of us, children, grandchildren, and those children yet to be born

About Smudging

Smudge is a bundle of dried herbs and is used as a sacred medicine for ceremony. Smudging can help drive away negative spirits, shift energy, cleanse a person for healing, purify a home, sacred space, crystals or other sacred objects.

To smudge yourself, gentle fan the smudge smoke around your body, starting with your head and slowly down to your feet. To smudge a room walk slowly around it and fan the smoke around the outline of the room. While you smudge, set an intention and think only positive thoughts. Use a shell or fireproof vessel to prevent sparks or ashes from causing damage. To burn smudge, light the end of the smudge stick or loose dried leaves with a lighter and gently blow out the flame so that only smoke emanates from the smudge.

Sweetgrass burns slowly and can be mixed with sage, kinnikinnik or palo santo to extend the burn. Before burning sweetgrass, cut off the dry end and put it outside or in a sacred place. For very dry sweetgrass, you can rehydrate and intensify its smell by soaking in water and re-dry before burning.

Variation

This is a natural product. Please expect some variation compared to the photo. The colour and size of each sweet grass braid may vary depending on what time of the year the sweet grass was harvested and on the length and strength of the growing season (ie. amount of rain, sun, floods, etc.). We hope that you will value this plant and the work that went into harvesting, drying, and braiding each piece. You will be most pleased if you overlook visual qualities such as colour and length and embrace each piece as unique.