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

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

42k Upvotes

89% Upvoted

3.3k comments sorted by

View all comments

85

u/Aggressive_Tear_769 Sep 01 '26

I've been in this situation, my parents were all "peace, love, plants, crystals and scents" and we lived in a community with more people like that.

This kind of blessing felt very loving to me, I would know the person and what their intentions were.

Of course there are expectations but I understood that even if the magic wasn't real, the care and love was. Compare that to having to perform Christianity and having to sit through church where an old guy shouted at a crowd and I'd take the blessing every single time.

12

u/WalkAffectionate2683 Sep 01 '26

I got a catholic education and never an old man shouted at me lol.

Though that made me atheist as fuck haha

10

u/Pandalicious1234 Sep 01 '26

If you study the bible hard enough you come back around to atheist. Happened to me. Brought up baptist

0

u/F4113n54v102 Sep 01 '26

Did he whisper in your ear perhaps?

4

u/WalkAffectionate2683 Sep 01 '26

Nah just speaking normally. But actually yeah they were pretty chill / silent.

The church was so echoing you could hear someone silent farting from the other side. 

Though the church organ was loud as fuck. 

14

u/HistoryBuff678 Sep 01 '26

I think you have got to the crux of why many non-native people would appreciate a smudging, but not some Christian prayers. (I didn’t mind prayers either.)

It’s just the world has seen so many fake Christians who weaponize the Christianity “club” for horrible stuff that frankly has nothing to do with Christianity. That is disturbing.

Indigenous practices don’t have that fakeness about them that some of Christianity (and some other religions) have.

4

u/booze_clues Sep 01 '26

Have you been on a reservation before? Th reason it appears that way is because most people are so far removed from these practices they only ever seen them in this form, a “wow look how interesting this is” video while other religions are such massive global movements they also have massive global issues that you can’t help but see. If there were only a handful of Christians mainly consolidated to Vatican City or something like that, you’d probably never really hear about their issues the same way you don’t hear about a bad thing happening in a random town or reservation across the country.

All the fakeness is there. All the issues are there. The corruption and use of culture/tradition/religion to exert influence and power over others. Of course, just like with Christianity and most religions, that’s only a small % of the community.

1

u/HistoryBuff678 Sep 01 '26

I agree? I truly think the fake Christian’s are a small percentage of Christians worldwide. It’s just particularly in the U.S., the disingenuous Christians are incredibly loud.

I can see why so many people have become atheists due to to the spiritual abuse they suffered. It does not look like the Christianity I experienced.

I always note that lady on tiktok who asked churches for a bottle of baby formula. Appalaichain churches, black churches and catholic churches, they were willing ti help. The mega churches… they weren’t. 😬

What astonished me is the excuses people made for the mega churches.

I know it happens with all faiths, but some faiths have more fakeness than others.

Like… how do some people claiming to be Christians claim anything they don’t like or understand is satanic? That has always blown me away.

Note: I am not American, but where I live has the most churches per capita out of the regional equivalent of a state.

2

u/Aggressive_Tear_769 Sep 01 '26

I don't know, it feels like you're putting Native Americans on a pedestal even though they can be just as fake and abusive as some Christians.

It's about dialogue, a chance to understand the deeper intention beyond just doing it "cus it's right" or "It's tradition"

It's just easier in a smaller community

1

u/Educational_Ninja694 Sep 01 '26

Lol, tell me you've never been on a Rez before. Yeah most people are genuine about their practices but I met a bunch who were as performative as the most annoying Christian when I lived on em.

15

u/RelevantDress Sep 01 '26

For real, Ive been around a lot of spiritual and religious people in my life and nothing was oppressive or forced on me, except for Christianity. My pastor beat me when I missed sunday church and said I would end up in hell unless I cleaned up my act.

5

u/Cosmic_Cosmos82 Sep 01 '26

Wait your PASTOR???!? That's INSANE. Wtf

0

u/meganmooretattoos Sep 01 '26

Well they usually rape so-

1

u/Substantial_System66 Sep 01 '26

I’ll take “Things that didn’t happen” for $1,000, Alex.

1

u/rozyputin Sep 01 '26

That's so wonderful.

Not the old man yelling bit, not cool