Northern Corridor

12.5 km Marker

Many Uses of Cedar

Cedar · Cèdre · Giizhkaandag


Cedar boughs. Photo: User:Raul654 / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0

From time immemorial, Indigenous peoples have used cedar as a sacred medicine for purification and smudging. Today cedar is valued for many different purposes, including healing, beauty, creating property boundaries, and wind protection. You can often see cedar used to mark the edges of lawns and gardens. The trees and shrubs are carefully tended and pruned so that they always look their best – a form of landscaping art!

Can you spot any cedar hedges? Like paintings and sculptures, people landscape their gardens in all shapes, sizes, and colours. Every year, the Sault Ste. Marie Horticultural Society gives out awards for the most beautiful gardens in the City.

Challenge Yourself!

  • Test your knowledge

  • Question 1

    Cedar is one of the four sacred medicines. Which of these plants is not a sacred medicine?



  • Question 2

    Why is cedar so important in smudging ceremonies?



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Observe!
What do cedar trees smell like?