Smudging provides healing for Indigenous patients at St. Joe’s
Building pathways to equitable healthcare
Sage. Tobacco. Cedar. Sweetgrass. Four sacred medicines that provide healing, cleansing and prayer. Not your typical hospital tools, but important ones on the healing journey for many Indigenous patients at St. Joe’s. Two Indigenous community members visited St. Joe’s staff in the Spiritual Garden to demonstrate how the medicines are used in smudging ceremonies. Staff were encouraged to remove their shoes and socks to ground themselves with the earth. Another image you may not expect at a hospital, but a meaningful way for staff to immerse themselves and learn how to provide the best care for their patients.
“A smudging ceremony is when you use the four sacred medicines and cleanse yourself,” says Marie Jones, Traditional Healer at the De dwa da dehs nye>s Aboriginal Health Centre and member of the Mohawk Turtle Clan of the Six Nations Territory. “It’s like a spiritual washing to balance and ground yourself. Many people will ask for smudging at a birth, at a death, or if they’re not well. And hospital staff servicing Indigenous people need to be aware of our ways.”
Encouraging and helping to facilitate smudging can make all the difference for many Indigenous patients. For those who often smudge at home, bridging the gap while staying in the hospital is critical for their wellbeing.
“It’s important for me, as an Indigenous person, to access our beliefs and traditions,” says St. Joe’s patient Sherril Joy Marr from Six Nations of the Grand River. “Smudging kind of lifts your spirits when you're depressed. When you smudge your eyes, it opens your mind to see the good. Your mouth, so you don’t speak negatively. And your heart to open up to the good things. They’re prayers to the Creator.”
For others, smudging is a new experience that connects them to their traditional roots and families. Jennifer Lazaruk is a residential school survivor who met with a Spiritual Care team member at St. Joe’s to smudge during her hospital stay.
“It’s getting in touch with my mother’s religion and the rest of my family’s religion,” Jennifer says. “It's a spiritual exercise. It's like I saw clouds above my head and my family's right there in front of me. My mom, my dad, my sister. And it's like they were right in front of me. Telling me what to do.”
Education: A critical step in the journey to equitable healthcare
Providing access to traditional healing practices and Indigenous workers is part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s calls to action in healthcare. It is also a tangible action St. Joe’s is taking on its journey to ensure equitable healthcare is available to all patients.
“Smudging is a great first step in healing from the effects of colonization and intergenerational trauma,” says Kiara Alich, an Aboriginal Patient Navigator at the De dwa da dehs nye>s Aboriginal Health Centre and member of the Cayuga Nation Bear Clan. “It is important to note that not every Indigenous person may want access to smudging due to colonization. There are Indigenous people who despise their culture, there are those who only want traditional medicine, and there are those who will want both.”
Part of the journey toward equity at St. Joe’s involves educating staff and community members about these traditional practices. Many staff have taken Indigenous Cultural Safety Training, for a better understanding of colonization’s lingering effects, especially in the healthcare system.
“While St. Joe’s has always helped facilitate smudging for Indigenous patients, we felt it was important to create a policy and education that would provide clear and consistent messaging to all staff, especially those who may not be familiar with the practice,” says St. Joe’s President, Melissa Farrell. “Creating an inclusive healthcare setting must incorporate mind, body and spirit, and we must create space for all individuals to express their spirituality.”
“I think it's important to educate as many non-natives as possible as to our beliefs and traditions for our physical well-being and mental well-being,” says Sherril. “It's important for people to know and not judge us for our beliefs.”
How do I access smudging at St. Joe’s?
If you are a patient or loved one at St. Joe’s and would like to smudge during your stay, let your care team know you would like to meet with someone from Spiritual Care, who will be happy to help facilitate this request.
Pictured above, left to right: Marie Jones, Traditional Healer at De dwa da dehs nye>s Aboriginal Health Centre; Kiara Alich, Aboriginal Patient Navigator at the De dwa da dehs nye>s Aboriginal Health Centre; Melissa Farrell, President at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton
A note on the music featured in the video
The audio track used in this video features Marie Jones, Elaina Jones and Patricia, who shared their stories and traditions with the St. Joe’s community via song and drums. The piece featured is called “The Snake Song.” If you were to meet a snake on your path, you would likely change direction. According to Elaina, the song symbolizes that no matter what journey you are on, it’s the right one. Even if you were headed in one direction and the snake forced you to change course, it might be the path you are meant to take.