Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: Marc St Louis on August 02, 2010, 10:29:42 pm

Title: Sweet
Post by: Marc St Louis on August 02, 2010, 10:29:42 pm

Sweetgrass that is.  My wife and another local woman went picking this afternoon.  She got enough for a couple good size braids.  We may go back tomorrow and get more



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Title: Re: Sweet
Post by: mullet on August 02, 2010, 10:51:29 pm

 We have some Sweetgrass baskets my wife bought  from the Gullah's in the South Carolina Low Country. The Sweet grass basket weaving has been handed down from family members, since slave days.
  Marc, what do you do with the braids? Is it significant to a certain NA event or ceremony?

Title: Re: Sweet
Post by: Marc St Louis on August 02, 2010, 11:24:13 pm

Sweetgrass is a sacred plant to natives up here.  It's used for smudging to purify a place or used as a gift.  It's also supposed to have healing properties.  We hang them up in the house

Title: Re: Sweet
Post by: mullet on August 02, 2010, 11:26:38 pm

 Thanks, Marc. I thought I had read that but wasn't sure.

Title: Re: Sweet
Post by: Josh on August 02, 2010, 11:29:29 pm

"smudging" is where you fan the smoke onto an object for blessing/healing/purifying, right Marc?  I want some sweet grass.  Someone was burning some at the last flintknapping event I was at and they didn't have any to sell.

Title: Re: Sweet
Post by: JW_Halverson on August 03, 2010, 01:58:09 am

Sweetgrass has a wonderful aroma when burning.  Kinda like primitive aromatherapy. 

Title: Re: Sweet
Post by: Marc St Louis on August 03, 2010, 08:40:44 am

That's right Josh but you can also waft the smoke onto you to purify yourself

Title: Re: Sweet
Post by: Hillbilly on August 03, 2010, 08:54:56 am

Wish we had sweetgrass growing around here. Eddie, the sweetgrass they use in Gullah basketry is a totally different plant with the same common name. I spent a while watching a couple Gullah women at the old Charleston Market weaving sweetgrass baskets a while back, pretty fascinating.

Title: Re: Sweet
Post by: mullet on August 03, 2010, 12:13:00 pm

 I didn't know that Steve, thanks. Kathie watched them weaving and said the same thing, but it was a small town outside of Charleston.

Title: Re: Sweet
Post by: Marc St Louis on August 03, 2010, 01:03:33 pm

According to internet sources, Sweetgrass is extinct an many parts of the US and endangered in other parts....over-picking and land development I guess.  It's very easy to start your own patch though.  It likes pretty well any type soil, except for rocks, and root cuttings is the easiest way to get some growing.  Seeds on the other hand are extremely rare and even though it does flower the "seed" packets are almost always empty