Community Event Outdoor Wheelchair Accessible Family & Kids
[email protected]
(902) 542-7668
Sandy-Lynn Fisher, from Glooscap First Nation in the Annapolis Valley, has opened the Deep Roots Festival for the past several years with a traditional Mi’kmaq smudge ceremony and Land Acknowledgement, joined by her daughter Lily-Beth.
Her teachings, passed down by respected Mi’kmaq Elders, emphasize that practices may differ among cultures. Sandy-Lynn keeps her sacred medicines - sweetgrass, sage, tobacco, and cedar - wrapped in red cloth, a colour believed to attract the attention of spirits. Each medicine has its own healing properties and is used for prayer, cleansing negativity, and purifying spaces.
During the ceremony, Sandy-Lynn and Lily-Beth use an eagle feather to smolder the medicines and guide the smoke over the head, ears, eyes, mouth, heart, arms, and legs, symbolizing the cleansing of thoughts, senses, and spirit. Out of respect, participants do not take part if under the influence or during menstruation, as women’s power is believed to influence the medicines.
The ashes are collected in an abalone shell and returned to the earth. Sandy-Lynn is honoured to share her culture at Deep Roots and grateful for the community’s openness and engagement.
[email protected]
(902) 542-7668
Sandy-Lynn Fisher, from Glooscap First Nation in the Annapolis Valley, has opened the Deep Roots Festival for the past several years with a traditional Mi’kmaq smudge ceremony and Land Acknowledgement, joined by her daughter Lily-Beth.
Her teachings, passed down by respected Mi’kmaq Elders, emphasize that practices may differ among cultures. Sandy-Lynn keeps her sacred medicines - sweetgrass, sage, tobacco, and cedar - wrapped in red cloth, a colour believed to attract the attention of spirits. Each medicine has its own healing properties and is used for prayer, cleansing negativity, and purifying spaces.
During the ceremony, Sandy-Lynn and Lily-Beth use an eagle feather to smolder the medicines and guide the smoke over the head, ears, eyes, mouth, heart, arms, and legs, symbolizing the cleansing of thoughts, senses, and spirit. Out of respect, participants do not take part if under the influence or during menstruation, as women’s power is believed to influence the medicines.
The ashes are collected in an abalone shell and returned to the earth. Sandy-Lynn is honoured to share her culture at Deep Roots and grateful for the community’s openness and engagement.
Admission
Pricing: Free
Waterfront Park
| Other Events at Waterfront Park |
|---|
| Fri Aug 28, 6pm Salsa by the Sea |
| Fri Aug 28, 11am Wolfville Waterfront Dance Festival |
| Sat Aug 29, 11am Wolfville Waterfront Dance Festival |
| Sun Aug 30, 2pm Jackie Putnam - Wolfville Summer Concert Series |
| Fri Sep 4, 6pm Salsa by the Sea |
| Sun Sep 13, 2pm The Country Classics - Wolfville Summer Concert Series |
| Fri Sep 25, 12:45pm Deep Roots - At the Tent |
| Fri Sep 25, 12:45pm Deep Roots: Sacred Smudge Ceremony |
| Sat Sep 26, 12:15pm Deep Roots: Family Show |
| Sat Sep 26, 2:15pm Deep Roots: Open Mic |
| See More... |