Witches urge alternatives to sage amid concern about appropriation, overharvesting

(RNS) – in their metaphysical online store quiiroiKitha sells bundles of rosemary, cedarwood, and black sage, as well as mugwort, though it’s sold out for now.

However, they do not sell white sage.

They said that this particular herb is a gift from the land reserved for the indigenous people.

The 23-year-old witch started Quiiroi in 2020 because they didn’t want to support metaphysical, New Age, and other occult works as they felt their indigenous culture was being commodified and diluted – in particular, by selling white sage.

“I started my shop because I always grew up with those Indigenous values, and one of those values ​​is, like, we don’t own the land. We can’t sell something we don’t own,” said Ketha, who says their father is indigenous to Puerto Rico and their mother is in the Americas.

“I can’t sell you something, I can’t profit from something, I can’t benefit financially from something that’s meant to be a gift.”

Burning white sage to cleanse a person or space or to attract positive energy has become popular in recent years, with sage bundles popping up everywhere from Junior Witch Kits to luxury grocery stores. While smearing with sage is often promoted as part of Wellness proceduresthe religious practices around the ritual will largely end.

But along with the popularity of white sage comes concern about cultural appropriation, as well as overharvesting.

Related: Magic isn’t scary…