SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — In an effort to teach both Native Americans and non-natives about sage, hundreds gathered to learn about its importance and how to use it.
Sage is an important plant in Native American ceremonies and in day-to-day life, but according to Siouxland elders, many in their communities don't know how to harvest or use it.
“In our traditional stories, we say that it's the first plant that God created, and we utilize it in social parts of our lives, ceremonial parts of our lives. It's always like the first thing, one of the first things that we do to prepare an area is to purify it,†said Mannape LaMere, a tribal member living in Sioux City.
Sage is a part of the Four Sacred Medicines in Native American culture alongside sweet grass, tobacco, and cedar.
Here in Siouxland, folks have used plain sage for hundreds of years, which can either be grown at home or found in the wild.
“We've used it for so long, but we want to pass this message on to our children and the ones that need healing,†said Pierre Merrick, a tribal elder from Macy, Nebraska.
“Because of the history of trying to assimilate us. A lot of our relatives have lost knowledge. They've lost how to take care of themselves. In that time, we lost things, and so some people just don't know,†said LaMere.
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Will Meier's entire life is surrounded by Native American culture, whether he's around his coworkers at Keystone Treatment Center in Canton, South Dakota, or at home with his wife, who is a member of the Santee Sioux Tribe.
Three days ago, Meier had a dream that led him and several others to put together a workshop for members of the community to learn more about sage at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.
“Some of our native elders here from different tribes spoke for 15, 20 minutes each, and we're educating our community, the uses of it, how they could use it, how they could get it, where you pick it, when you pick it, what time of year you do this, and it was really awesome to see that. It seemed like people were really enjoying that,†said Will Meier, with Keystone Treatment Center.
This sage workshop was also done to honor Damian Bearshield, a friend of the Meier family who passed away two months ago, and that would provide sage to him and several others.
At the end of the workshop, bundles of sage were handed out to everyone who attended, which was around 150 people.
“The room was full, we never expected that, and it was just really an awesome day. And we've all agreed, ‘Hey, we're going to do this each year, and everybody's invited. This isn't just for Native people, this is for our community,’†said Meier.
Meier said they plan to hold another sage workshop around the same time next year, roughly mid-June.
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