Smudging Policy

To honour and support the Indigenous community in the tradition of smudging. Cambrian College (“the College”) welcomes, respects and supports the on-campus, Indigenous, cultural, and spiritual practices associated with the use of the four spiritual sacred medicines.

This policy applies to all college employees, students, and visitors on college property.

Smudging: an Indigenous practice of burning certain plants such as sweet grass, sage, cedar and/or tobacco, in order to create a cleansing smoke, which is used to purify people, as well as ceremonial and ritual spaces and ceremonial tools and objects.

Spiritual sacred medicine: sage, sweetgrass, cedar, and tobacco.

The College honours the tradition of smudging and supports the practice on college property according to the following principles:

1. The Wabnode Centre for Indigenous Services (Wabnode), inclusive of the Sacred Arbour on college property, is designated as the College’s approved area to perform smudging ceremonies.

2. Smudging in all other areas of the college property will be subject to the Smudging Operating Procedure to determine approval, timing, location, communication, and notification to ensure the balance of safety and culture.

3. The spiritual sacred medicines must be obtained by Wabnode to ensure that the plants were harvested in a traditional way.

4. Members of the college community may use the spiritual sacred medicines to practice a smudging ceremony; however, Cambrian tradition states that sage may only be used to honour women.

5. Event organizers should be aware of nearby combustible materials and know the location of the nearest fire extinguisher, fire alarm pull station, and emergency exists.

• Material remaining after a smudging ceremony must be fully extinguished and disposed of safely.

6. Failure to comply with this policy may result in the activation of the fire alarm system as well as other possible health and safety risks to the college community.

• The College reserves the right to pass on to anyone who is in violation of this policy some or all of the costs arising from that violation. Repeated failure to comply with this policy may result in corrective action.

Associate Vice President, Human Resources and Student Services is responsible for:

• Ensuring the development, review and availability of this Policy and associated procedures.

Wabnode Centre for Indigenous Services is responsible for:

• Sharing the traditional knowledge and ways of the Indigenous people.
• Providing appropriate Spiritual Sacred Medicines for Smudging ceremonies.
• Providing a spiritually safe area for the College Community.

Director Facilities is responsible for:

• Providing signage as appropriate.
• Providing enforcement in support of this policy.

The College Community is responsible for:

• Being familiar with and adhering to this Policy and applicable procedures.

Administrators are responsible for:

• Ensuring that their staff adhere to this Policy and applicable procedures.