“Saging The World” Documentary Showing at the Malki Museum

Description:

Sage smudging has become a viral trend. What’s the truth behind the smoke?

“Saging” has become common in movies, TV shows, social media, and cleansing rituals

–people burning sage bundles in the hope of purifying space and clearing bad energy.

Instead of healing, the appropriated use of saging in popular culture is having a

harmful effect.

Indigenous communities have tended a relationship with white sage for thousands of

generations. White sage (Salvia apiana) only occurs in southern California and northern

Baja California, Mexico. Today, poachers are stealing metric tons of this plant from the

wild to supply international demand. Saging the World spotlights the ecological and

cultural issues intertwined with white sage, centering the voices of Native advocates

who have long protected and cherished this plant.

The short documentary was produced by Rose Ramirez, Deborah Small, and the

California Native Plant Society to foster awareness and inspire action for white sage.

For more information on the film and ways to support white sage, visit: cnps.org/sagingtheworld.