More than smudge: Kumeyaay ethnobotany and the biocultural stewardship of White Sage (Salvia apiana)

White sage (Salvia apiana) is marketed globally for spiritual and commercial use, yet for the Kumeyaay of northwestern Baja California it remains a living relative embedded in ceremonial practice, territorial memory, and ecological responsibility. This research examines white sage as a culturally significant plant sustained through relational harvesting practices and intergenerational knowledge transmission.

Based on ethnographic fieldwork (2021–2023), including participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and landscape walks with Kumeyaay knowledge holders, this study documents local criteria for plant health, seasonal gathering protocols, and ethical guidelines governing harvest. Findings demonstrate that traditional practices emphasize selective cutting, spatial rotation, and spiritual accountability, fostering plant regeneration and landscape continuity.

As global demand and restricted territorial access intensify, these stewardship systems face growing strain. Centering Kumeyaay ethnobotanical knowledge highlights Indigenous biocultural stewardship as essential to sustaining culturally significant flora worldwide.