09/12/2025
I found this beautiful teaching about sweetgrass, and just had to share it. These are the words of Anishinabe Elder Wally Chartrand.
Sweetgrass - a kindness medicine - has a sweet gentle aroma when we light it.
We use 21 strands of sweetgrass to make a braid. The first seven strands represent those seven generations behind us - our parents, grandparents, and so on back for seven generations. Who we are and what we are is because of them. They’ve brushed and made the trails we have been walking up until now. The old people tell us that it takes longer for us to heal today and the reason is because the old trails our ancestors used to use to find us have been destroyed. They’ve build dams which have destroyed the old trails. They’ve build towns and cities where the old trails used to be. So now our ancestors are having a harder time trying to find us to help us heal.
The next seven strands represent the seven sacred teachings: love, respect, honesty, courage, wisdom, truth, and humility. The old people tell us how simple, powerful and beautiful the teachings are. Love - a very simple teaching. Respect - a powerful teaching. Humility - a beautiful teaching. When we truly understand the teaching of humility - that I am not any better than anyone else and you are not any better than me, and that at the end of the day we are all simply human beings - this is what makes this teaching powerful and beautiful.
The only thing wrong with the teachings is that we don’t walk them everyday. Love is only a four-letter word. It’s when we walk that love, when we show it, when we live it, that’s what makes these teachings powerful and beautiful. One other thing we are reminded is that how can we love someone else if we don’t first love ourselves. How can we respect another if we don’t first respect ourselves. They tell us that the teachings need to first start from within ourselves.
The last seven strands are for the seven generation in front of us: our children, our grandchildren, and those children yet to be born. Why are they important? Everything we do to Mother Earth will one day affect them. Right now the earth gives us everything and anything we can possibly want to have the life we have, but if we don’t look after her, what’s going to be left when it’s their turn? The circle that’s around me today, is that the same circle I want to pass on to them? Especially if my circle involves alcohol abuse, drug abuse, family violence, lying, stealing or cheating. Sometime it’s up to us to break the cycle, and hopefully replace it with something better.
We put those 3 braids together, and they represent yesterday, today and tomorrow... mind, body and spirit... man, woman and child... man, woman and Creator.
When my son was born I made him a promise that we wouldn’t cut his hair till he was seven years old. We cut it eight years ago (he’s 15 today) but when he was four years old he already knew this teaching, because every morning as I’d get him ready for daycare, I’d braid his hair. I’d ask him, "Misko what does your braid represent?"
"Sweetgrass," he’d say.
"What does sweetgrass represent, my boy?" I’d ask.
"Kindness," he’d say.
"And what does each of your braids represent, my boy?"
"My mind, my body and my spirit," was his reply.
"Okay, what are you going to do at daycare today, my boy?" I’d ask.
"Dad, I’m going to be kind to my mind, my body and my spirit," he’d say.
"Awesome my boy!!! What’s going to happen if you do that today?" I’d ask.
He’d say, "Dad! I’m going to be STRONG !!!!"
You see that’s the second teaching that comes with this medicine. It’s through our kindness that we are most strong. Anybody can raise their fist at anyone else. Anyone can use their words to hurt or put someone down. But when we have someone in our face trying to hurt us with their actions or words, and we still love, respect and show that person kindness... that takes a lot of strength!!!!
