“Saging” has become common in movies, TV shows, social media, and cleansing rituals –people burning sage bundles in the hope of purifying space and clearing bad energy. Instead of healing, the appropriated use of saging in popular culture is having a harmful effect. Indigenous communities have tended a relationship with white sage for thousands of generations. White sage (Salvia apiana) only occurs in southern California and northern Baja California, Mexico. Today, poachers are stealing metric tons of this plant from the wild to supply international demand. Saging the World spotlights the ecological and cultural issues intertwined with white sage, centering the voices of Native advocates who have long protected and cherished this plant.

Join us for a screening of Saging the World on Thursday, May 19 at Mission Trails Regional Park in San Diego. The screening will include a panel discussion with Native advocates from the film. 

The short documentary was produced by Rose Ramirez, Deborah Small, and the California Native Plant Society to foster awareness and inspire action for white sage. Go from smudging to seeding as we come together to see plants not just as “resources,” but as “relationships.” For more information on the documentary and campaign, visit cnps.org/sagingtheworld.

Guests are encouraged to wear masks while inside the theater space. COVID protocols are subject to change per local, state, and federal guidelines.