Manitoba drought leaves women’s centres short on sage for smudging, medicinal uses

'The places we normally go, the medicines are really low,' says West End Women's Centre program co-ordinator

By: CBC News Posted: 9:55 AM CDT Monday, Aug. 2, 2021

Indigenous women's centres in Winnipeg say their supply of natural medicines is short this summer due to Manitoba's drought conditions.

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This article was published 02/08/2021 (673 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Indigenous women’s centres in Winnipeg say their supply of natural medicines is short this summer due to Manitoba’s drought conditions.

The West End Women’s Centre says it’s in need of prairie sage, which has been difficult to gather in usual picking spots during recent outings.

“It’s kind of scary for our medicines. The places we normally go, the medicines are really low,” said Jolene Wilson, the co-ordinator for the centre’s Restoring the Balance support program, which draws on traditional Indigenous values and teachings.

A child holds a bowl with burning sage in a 2016 photo. Sage is used in the practice of smudging, but dry conditions in Manitoba this year mean some groups are having trouble finding it. (Martha Troian/CBC)

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