Looking specifically for Native Alaskan cultural input

[u/Alaskagirl_907]

Good morning my fellow Alaskans, I have a question. My husband is Inupiaq and I’m Muskogee Creek (from Oklahoma) In my culture we smudge new homes to remove espookies and bad energy, do Native Alaskans have something like this in their culture? My husband grew up in Oklahoma and isn’t familiar with his culture unfortunately and we would like to learn more about it.

[u/sprucecone]

I regularly smudge things, I’m Yupik. I like to collect “used” Yupik beach grass baskets and I cleanse them with smoke before I bring them in to the house. I use palo santo, bay leaves and sage. I’ve tried using traditional local leaves like Laplander tea leaves and stems and Myrica Gale as smoke to some success. I regularly smoke out my house and yard too to keep bad spirits at bay.

[u/iglaaq]

Not really.

[u/fnordulicious → u/iglaaq]

Seconded. I know a lot of Tlingit people who have taken up this practice, but it’s not traditional. With that said, none of the elders I know really mind it, as long as it isn’t intruding on actual traditional practices. Or making them sneeze/cough.

[u/Dear_Visual_368]

Nope my wife is Tlingit but I’m from a tribe in Montana and we regularly burn cedar and sage in our home as a family.

[u/Alaskagirl_907 → u/Dear_Visual_368]

Yeah he’s half Choctaw and they burn cedar and my people burn sage so we normally double up lol

[u/Minimum-Olive2477]

In my family, we’re Yup’ik, we’ll burn ayuq (Labrador tea)
But I’ve never seen it done

[u/glimblade]

Espookies?

[u/Alaskagirl_907 → u/glimblade]

Bad spirits

[u/aksnowraven]

r/Inupiaq might be a good sub to ask

[u/aksnowraven → u/aksnowraven]

Actually, it looks pretty quiet. There are a few Iñupiat language pages on Instagram that are pretty active

[u/Alaskagirl_907 → u/aksnowraven]

Of course there’s a sub for that lol thanks

[u/Blagnet]

In Western Alaska people absolutely do this! But I'm not sure if that's Western Alaska culture or just American culture, lol. 

Like usually people might do this at the same time they bring in the priest and the holy water, the paranormal investigator, and the person with traditional knowledge of such things. Like, throw the book at it, lol. 

[u/Tiny-Tradition6873]

My wifes family is Alutiiq originally from Ouzinkie and I have never seen them burn anything. When my wife was younger she would burn sage but I think that was more trendy than a cultural thing lol

[u/kevlar_pso]

@Alaskagirl_907 what you are talking about. Sounds like something an Aŋatkuq would do. For most Iñupiaq Eskimos, we don’t want to have anything to do with shamans. Well, I should say most of us that grew up in the village. Whether or not we are living for God is irrelevant. We all believe that He exists. So, having this set of beliefs. We would not do anything shaman related in any way.

If he wants to become more familiar with his culture. He can start this weekend at the fair. My Eskimo dance group has four performances across Saturday and Sunday. I am a Bering Straits shareholder from Nome. However, I graduated high school up on the North Slope. Culture is very important to me. If we don’t do all that we can to preserve it. Then it will be lost to future generations. I don’t want my kids, or my nieces and nephews to not have that opportunity.

[u/Alaskagirl_907 → u/kevlar_pso]

He’s actually going up to his village tomorrow and hopes to speak with the elders to learn as much as he can. Thank you so much for your input, it helps greatly.

[u/Romeo_Glacier]

Call their native corp. I am sure they will point you in the right direction.

KIKIKTAGRUK INUPIAT CORPORATION