An Indigenous TikToker is accusing Whole Foods of cultural appropriation because the company's grocery stores sell white sage.
In the video, which had over 16,000 likes by Thursday, TikToker @naturedirectco showed white sage being sold in the grocery store aisle. "I was shopping at Whole Foods when I saw this white washed, stolen medicine for sale and had to say something," the user said.
The TikToker then explains how blue sage and rosemary should be used for smoke cleansing, while white sage and smudging are for "closed practice."
In the comments, some people defended using white sage, while others agreed with the creator.
"'Everybody can use plants' does not mean everyone is educated and prepared to perform a specific ceremony that they are not welcome to, folks,'" @hearthsandhedges commented.
Burning sage, or smudging, is a sacred medicinal practice used to cleanse or purify and is an important part of some Indigenous cultures.
By making sage trendy and profiting from it, non-Indigenous retailers erase the deep-seated historical and spiritual roots of the practice. It's part of a larger issue of for-profit retailers culturally appropriating parts of Indigenous culture, like headdresses, while due to colonization, Indigenous people face higher rates of mass incarceration, poverty, and land disparities.
The creator of the TikTok owns Nature Direct Co., an Arizona-based ethical crystal shop that also seeks to respect cultural traditions.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @naturedirectco for comment.
The post ‘If you use white sage and you’re not Indigenous, you might be a colonizer’: TikToker calls out Whole Foods for cultural appropriation white sage appeared first on The Daily Dot.
