Kalamazoo Times

Under the hot August sun, Shabanaa Bush carefully ties bundles of sage freshly harvested from a bed in front of Western Michigan University's Floyd Hall.

Inside the building, home to the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Bush connects with world-class faculty in pursuit of a degree in aerospace engineering. Outside, she connects with her Native American heritage through a community medicine garden.

Shabanaa Bush, Anna-Marie Vorce, Laura Moss, Dr. Dee Sherwood, Jordan Morseau and Skyler Wolverton hold some of the medicines they harvested. "Having the medicine garden right outside of where I study and learn is a visual reminder of who I am and the recognition my culture has at WMU. Engineering is hard, but knowing my people’s sacred medicines are close and always accessible to use reassures me that my community supports me," says Bush, president of the Native American Student Organization (NASO).

Alongside fellow NASO members, Bush spent an afternoon trimming sage and sweetgrass to be used in smudge ceremonies—an Indigenous practice where sacred herbs are burned to bless and cleanse spaces—before events.

"By having this garden, NASO at WMU aims to bring accessibility and recognition to our culture," Bush says. "I am so thankful to be blessed with such an amazing University that works with its Indigenous students and staff to make them feel at home and celebrated to be who they are."

Skyler Wolverton, B.S.'24, a NASO student leader and graduate student, adds the garden gives Native students a sense of place on campus. "I have studied geography in my undergrad and continue to do so in graduate school. Having a sense of place is vital to any community."

The garden was developed in consultation with Tribal nations in the region in late 2019 and early 2020. It includes sage, sweetgrass and tobacco—three of the four sacred medicines of the Ojibwe medicine wheel. Jodie Palmer, former Western staff member and Council member for the Gun Lake Tribe, and Laura Moss brought the idea to fruition.

"It's been so rewarding to see the community medicine garden grow," says Dr. Dee Sherwood, director of Western's Native American Affairs Council and NASO advisor. "I'm so grateful for their vision and persistence because the garden is thriving and NASO students, relatives, alums and community members now have a place on campus that supports plants, medicines and cultural practices."

Vorce displays some sweetgrass from the garden. The garden is open to members of both the campus community and tribal community as a whole for gathering sacred medicines as needed.

"Through this medicine garden, WMU is working to reconnect our culture to the land of our grandparents and relatives," says Bush. "Having this medicine garden for the community has created a more accessible way for our relatives to collect the medicines they need without having to wait for a powwow or order from a third-party company that may not be Indigenous. I hope that this medicine garden can be cared for by future generations."

Wolverton adds that he plans on making sage bundles as gifts for those who have aided him during his master's program.

"I plan on making sage bundles to thank the tribal entity I am working with in my master's program," he says. "That's what our medicine is there for—to give back."

For students like Wolverton, the medicine garden represents belonging cultivated within NASO.

"When I joined up with NASO," Wolverton shares about his experience during COVID-19 pandemic times when he began undergraduate studies at Western Michigan University (WMU), “I was presented with so many opportunities…If I didn't have [NASO], I don't know where I'd be.”

"I am so proud of NASO students," adds Sherwood.

NASO meets on every third Thursday each month; details about getting involved or upcoming events are available online.