sweetgrass
Braided ceremonial plant
Sweetgrass is a fragrant grass native to northern regions of North America and Eurasia, known for its vanilla-like scent when dried.
Indigenous peoples of North America use braided sweetgrass in ceremonies, for smudging, and in basket weaving.
The plant holds spiritual significance in many Native American traditions, symbolizing kindness and connection to the earth: The elder lit the sweetgrass braid.
Making blurry marks
- purificationRemoval of contaminants
- ritualCeremonial set of actions
- offeringSomething presented or given
- blessingPrayer seeking divine favor
prayer · cleansing · braids · spiritual · ancestors · tobacco · cedar · sage
Pleasing olfactory quality
- scentAirborne odor detected
- freshnessState of being unspoiled
- vanillaOrchid pod extract
- coumarinFragrant organic plant compound
earthy · bouquet · essence · whiff · meadow · sun-dried · herbal · aromatic
Art of weaving containers
- braidingInterlacing three strands
- plaitingInterweaving flexible strands
- coilingLooping around repeatedly
- fiberPlant-based digestive aid
handcraft · artisan · three-strand · Gullah · Lowcountry · Charleston · tradition · technique
Recurring each year
- rhizomeHorizontal underground plant stem
- leavesTree's photosynthetic organs
- bladesSharp flat cutting parts
- prairieOpen grassy flatland
wetland · meadow · native · cultivation · propagation · habitat · boreal · temperate
Western Sioux people
- OjibweAlgonquian-speaking indigenous nation
- traditionalFollowing long-held customs
- culturalRelating to shared traditions
- medicineCurative substance or practice
elder · teaching · harvesting · protocol · respect · reciprocity · land-based · ceremony
smudging
Making blurry marks
- purificationRemoval of contaminants
- ritualCeremonial set of actions
- offeringSomething presented or given
blessing · prayer · cleansing · braids · spiritual · ancestors · tobacco · cedar · sage · gratitude
fragrance
Pleasing olfactory quality
coumarin · earthy · bouquet · essence · whiff · meadow · sun-dried · herbal · aromatic · pleasant
basketry
Art of weaving containers
- braidingInterlacing three strands
- plaitingInterweaving flexible strands
- coilingLooping around repeatedly
fiber · handcraft · artisan · three-strand · Gullah · Lowcountry · Charleston · tradition · technique · decorative
perennial
Recurring each year
- rhizomeHorizontal underground plant stem
- leavesTree's photosynthetic organs
- bladesSharp flat cutting parts
prairie · wetland · meadow · native · cultivation · propagation · habitat · boreal · temperate · colonizing
Lakota
Western Sioux people
- OjibweAlgonquian-speaking indigenous nation
- traditionalFollowing long-held customs
- culturalRelating to shared traditions
medicine · elder · teaching · harvesting · protocol · respect · reciprocity · land-based · ceremony · gift
- Dene culturetea dance, drum dance, drum dancing, hand games, traditional territory
- American PlantsAmerican elm, aster, azalea, bluebonnets, bluebonnet
- incenseincense burner, incense stick, incense burning, incense cone, incense holder
- Indigenous CanadaFirst Nations, Metis, Inuit, Cree, Ojibwe
- Indigenous cultureancestors, ancestry, ancestral lands, ancestral lineage, animal totems
- basketrybasket, baskets, woven basket, basketmaker, basketry
sweetgrasssage
Wisdom keeper or seasoning
white sage · cedar · mugwort · wormwood · palo santo
sweetgrassstinkweed
Foul-smelling invasive plant
wormwood · asafoetida · skunk cabbage · bitter herbs · rue
sweetgrassbitter herbs
Sharp-tasting ritual greens
wormwood · poisonous plants · bane · hemlock · nightshade
sweet, grass, grassy, grasses, sweetness, sweetly, sweeten, grassland, grasshopper