r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/MelanieWalmartinez • Sep 01 '26

Video Students get smudged by indigenous elders for peace and blessings throughout the year

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u/MelanieWalmartinez Sep 01 '26

Yes 🥀 I swear I’m going insane because I’ll post something cool and then forget that a looot of people are still racist

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u/cantwalkintheshadows Sep 01 '26

This complete stranger thinks this is cool as fuck op, thank you for sharing.

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u/dougielou Sep 01 '26

I’ve already seen this video but I want you to know that I think it’s cool and interesting to see how other cultures welcome their children back to school.

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u/Cloverose2 Sep 01 '26

It's a beautiful tradition that makes children feel welcomed and supported. The fact that people are taking it as anything other than a statement of care is frankly bizarre.

I can't imagine being so miserable that one could look at this and see anything other than a community supporting their children and the children clearly welcoming it and appreciating it.

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u/Barackrifle Sep 01 '26

I grew up Irish catholic. This is tame for the amount of smoke they're throwing around and far fewer ashsy foreheads here

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u/SursumCordaNJ Sep 01 '26

Italian Catholic here and I thought the same thing. Shit, you get more smoke from lighting the charcoals.

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u/rglurker Sep 01 '26

Or just plain ignorant and think everything is evil.

Also remember. 50%+ are likely engagement bots at this point

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u/Legal-MorningW-24 Sep 01 '26

Very good point. They go off of controversy or things that get reactions. I wonder but I bet its happened to me at some point.

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u/rglurker Sep 01 '26

It's probably safer for your psyche to assume They are bots simply because the bots want too skew your perception towards thinking it's more common than it really is in an attempt to get you to turn against people around you. We're under attack as a species right now. Watching it sucks cause it's hard to convey the extent at which we are being subjected to this without over explaining and losing people. I love psychology. I don't love how they are using it with tech

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u/Legal-MorningW-24 Sep 01 '26

No kidding. Im the only person in my friend group who warns people about the constant propaganda we are being subjected to. The race propaganda right now specifically is so gross and targeted thst it does feel intentionally divisive. Its wild how effective it is at controlling and manipulating the masses. The studies done on propaganda and jts effectiveness are wild, even if we know its propaganda it still works on us. Protect your mind! Its so powerful and dictates your reality. Also we need more laws and regulation on marketing and propaganda in general.

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u/rglurker Sep 02 '26

I wish I could spread awareness. Thought about doing a podcast but have no idea how to organize 30 years of inquiries, answers, and insights.

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u/Legal-MorningW-24 Sep 02 '26

One step at a time! You could organize and prioritize what you think the current state of things are and then what you feel people are lacking and what they need to know. If you start one I would definitely check it out.

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u/readyforclarity Sep 01 '26

I'm so sorry. I appreciate you sharing and thought it was cool. At my university, which sits on Indigenous land, had a sage blessing during my graduation :) we all really liked it

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u/throwaway098764567 Sep 01 '26

some are probably just anti religion not necessarily racist, which doesn't make it hurt less but is something they're more likely to grow out of... at least i did. i never had a problem with native american stuff, but religion in general i had a huge issue with when i was young because it was part of my abuse as a kid. took a long time to get over that and become ok with the idea that not all religious people are evil. at least a few folks may be early in a similar journey.

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u/RedOtta019 Sep 01 '26

Native spirituality is probably in the least problematic religions.

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u/penderies Sep 01 '26

I think it’s very cool! Ignore the assholes 💙

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u/Particular_Yam_734 Sep 01 '26

It is indeed so cool and special. Keep sharing :)

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u/BrandosWorld4Life Sep 01 '26

The problem is really bad. I'm an indigenous Canadian and the main Canada sub is just a nonstop torrent of racism every day. Sigh.

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u/RedOtta019 Sep 01 '26

Cousin you should know better. The instagram comments were worse 🥀

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u/MelanieWalmartinez Sep 01 '26

I am not checking the instagram comments for my peace of mind 😭🥀

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u/uncommonrev Sep 01 '26

Racist, and or ignorant and mostly just miserable. The old adage misery loves company has never been more true. At least on the internet. I'd bet a lot of people popping off about this or that would have a drastically different reaction to this if they encountered it in the real world instead of being in talk shit on the internet mode.

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u/Crooked-Grinds Sep 01 '26

The issue people have is the double standard, if this was a religious Christian asking to partake in some religious action on school grounds people would be up in arms.
There’s no difference here, and before you say it… no I’m not religious I don’t like it if it was an indigenous ritual, a Christian ritual, Muslim, Jewish etc…

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u/Orphanpip Sep 01 '26

It's an Indigenous school, would people really be up in arms about Christian rituals at a Catholic school? What about Christmas, do people get upset about Christmas decorations being allowed? Smudging for many indigenous people is about preserving a cultural tradition more than a genuine religious belief, most Indigenous people are Christian. Drawing the line between secular and religious culture is very often done in a way that favors the dominant culture, what level of Indigenous culture is allowed before it is deemed too spiritual?

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u/Crooked-Grinds Sep 01 '26

The issue with your example is that catholic schools are private institutions…

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u/Orphanpip Sep 01 '26

So is the school the video, it's the Indian Community School in Milwaukee...

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u/Crooked-Grinds Sep 01 '26

Then I take no issue with the video

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u/chxrmander Sep 01 '26 edited Sep 01 '26

Not everywhere. In Ontario, Canada (and other provinces I believe), Catholic Schools are publicly funded.

Also, given the history of it, I would be cautious in comparing Christian practices (which historically were violently forced onto to non Christian/indigenous communities) and Indigenous spiritual practices (which were historically prohibited and could be punished with death).

She asked nicely and is only sharing her culture, let’s not compare that to the dominant Christian culture actually being forced down our throats on a daily basis.

Edit: oops I pissed off the Christians 😂

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u/Crooked-Grinds Sep 01 '26

This is in the US and I’m talking about the USA, I don’t speak about Canada because I don’t live there and this didn’t take place there so whatever another country does it’s not something I can speak to

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u/MelanieWalmartinez Sep 01 '26

There are Christian schools

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u/Crooked-Grinds Sep 01 '26

And they are private institutions, I was just informed this is a private institution called the Indian community school in Milwaukee so I take no issue if that’s the case.
I thought this was a public school where I would take issue with it regardless of religion or cultural tradition if it’s being imposed on the kids

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u/Cloverose2 Sep 01 '26

Even then, it isn't imposed - the children are approaching her and participating by choice (the waving over their heads is part of the ritual). She's not forcing them, she's offering. You can even see that she's getting approval from the adults as well as the kids.

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u/Crooked-Grinds Sep 01 '26

They are very young impressionable children… they can’t really consent now can they?

but that’s besides the point and I don’t take issue with this instance since this school from what I could look up is called the Indian community school, and it’s a private faith based intertribal school.

If this was a public school I would take issue regardless of ritual, native, Christian, Muslim Jewish etc… from a staff member since it’s against policy for publicly funded school staff to do so. Specially without parental consent.

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u/Cloverose2 Sep 01 '26 edited Sep 01 '26

That's not true. It's that, for a public school, the school itself can't be in charge of it and participation can't be forced. Christians are very active on school campuses - at my high school alone, there were daily prayer circles, student-led bible studies, and Christian student organizations. The school can allow religious activities on campus, but it can't force students to participate.

Preachers can go onto campus and offer to lead students in prayer. They can't make students pray. An iman or a rabbi can do the same. Religion can be present, but participation cannot be required. Which is what is happening here. The children are voluntarily participating and seem to appreciate it.

No one would be up in arms, because it happens constantly and no one is.

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u/anivex Sep 01 '26

Wondered what the fuss is about and scrolled down...and wow.

I got to the end of comments with positive karma and there were still 500??? Wtf reddit.

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u/Fluffmutt Sep 01 '26

We do this at my workplace too! I live in Canada and work in social services. I am not Indigenous and I don’t work at an Indigenous-led charity, but I have Indigenous coworkers and they have offered to share this practice with staff at certain occasions. It also happens before and/or after community events all the time where I live, even if they’re not Indigenous-led. Smudging feels so grounding. I’m grateful that my colleagues have offered to share this part of their culture with us.

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u/Miami_Mice2087 Sep 01 '26

I searched the comments and I can't find this: Which nation, please, and what kind of herbs? I'm a pagan and have ties to the Chesapeake Bay tribes, I'm just interested in how other natives practice.

I think this is really cool. :) Is September/autumn an important time on your year wheel?

Feel free to PM me if you'd prefer privacy.

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u/MelanieWalmartinez Sep 01 '26

I’m ojibwe and we use the Four Medicines: sage, sweetgrass, cedar, and tobacco :) I’m pretty sure sage is the most popular amongst all the tribes though. I personally don’t pick it, but I have sweetgrass in my home and car, gifted to me from an elder😁

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u/DateNightThrowRA Sep 01 '26

On the bright side, look at the massive amount of positivity and support! It’s unfortunate, but anything popular still has scum at the bottom of the comments. Just report and ignore!

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u/farfly7 Sep 02 '26

That is really a goddamn shame

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u/joyful_maestra Sep 01 '26

Thanks for posting! My kids go here, and it is an amazing school!

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u/magicmango2104 Sep 01 '26

Its definitely cool! Thanks for sharing. Im a witch, I dont smudge but I smoke cleanse and my kids like to carry crystals at school. People can be shitty about spiritual practice they dont understand.