Niibin: I. Wiingashk nagamon

We call Wiingashk, or sweetgrass a ‘man’s medicine’, but really sweetgrass is a medicine of kindness. Its aromatic smoke is sacred to us and cleanses the spirit. Sweetgrass grows in the wild and harnesses the energy from the land on which it grew. We sing songs of gratitude to the creator when we find patches of it growing here and there.

 As we harvest the long strands of sweetgrass, we weave them into braids to use throughout the coming year. This interlocking three-part braid represents the three elements that make up a human - body, mind and spirit. The three strands woven together signify strength, our Mother Earth’s hair.