Students explore Native practices
Campus Times
February 20, 1998
While most students took advantage of the holiday Monday and slept in,
several University of La Verne students, an alumnus, two invited guests
and ULV's Catholic campus minister shared a sacred ritual taught by Native
Americans for hundreds of years.
This ritual, unlike what many are probably imagining, did not involve
drumming, a sacred dance or even song. Nor did it take place somewhere on
an Indian reservation.
Instead, imagine a small group of people, wearing casual clothes, in
an area just 10 minutes from the main campus, sitting in a circle ready
to pick a plant sacred to Native Americans and those who acknowledge Native
practices, from the foothill of the Azusa Canyons.
Sage, the sacred plant, is used extensively in Native American rituals
and ceremonies. During ceremonies, sage is burned in similar manner as incense.
Its smoke is used to cleanse and purify the people, representing the four
directions of the winds-north, south, east and west.
Sage is bound together by yarn; various colors could be used to wrap
the plant, which symbolize the four corners; for example, white represents
the south which symbolizes innocence.
As taught by Native Americans, sage should never be bought or sold.
"Any Native American who would walk into a store and see this [sage]
being sold, would be very offended," said Elena Cardeña, the
Catholic campus minister, upon walking into a bookstore that sold it only
a few hours after picking the plant.
The buying or selling of the sage would constitute misuse of the sacred
plant. After it has been picked and bound with ribbon, it may be given as
a gift, however, not just to anyone. It is given to individuals who understand
the significance of the sacred plant and who are worthy of receiving this
gift.
"Which one is calling you?" said Jose Gallegos, a guest of
the ULV group and leader of the ritual.
"That one right there, right in front of me," said Cardeña,
as she faced a view where hundreds of bushels of white sage grows wildly
in the canyons.
But as Gallegos explains to one 10-year-old participant, even before
picking a bush that the person feels drawn to, the person must understand
the significance of the picking of the plant, what is given as an offering
when picking, and finally, why an offering is given.
Traditionally, when picking sage, the individual who picks the plant
takes tobacco as an offering to Mother Earth. The individual spreads the
tobacco in the four corners and in the center of the bush.
"So often we take and take and don't give back what is given to
us by Mother Earth," said Cardeña. "This is why we leave
an offering, so that the plants will continue to grow."
She also commented on how one should not only leave an offering, but
to remember never to take too much sage from one bush in order to respect
what Mother Earth has given people.
When all of the picking was completed, a circle was made where prayer
and reflection was held.
Junior history major Alexandra Hernandez said of her experience, "You
can't explain in words how you feel. It is very meaningful, humbling."
