With the rise of interest in spirituality during the COVID-19 pandemic, TikTok perpetuated an open dispersal of spiritual information, but at a cost — not to the consumers but to the Indigenous peoples fighting to protect their culture, land, and resources. Though being spiritual is not the defaming factor, the influence of major historical ‘witch-y’ practices such as Wicca has perpetuated a ‘manifest-destiny’ mindset, actively colonising and appropriating Indigenous practices.
Wicca, as a religion, not a practice, has existed for only 70 odd years. Rooted in Western Esotericism, it tries to take traditions and rituals from indigenous practices but naming such as ‘ancient paganism’. Labelling indigenous practices as ‘ancient paganism’ disconnects the acts of worship and rituals from their culture, lacking the informed cultural knowledge and in my opinion, pissing off the gods. Mislabeling such practices is a blasphemous act, allowing Wiccans with a colonising mindset to take and pick parts of our culture without having any real connection.
Indigenous practices have continued for thousands of years, rooted in their specific community’s movement and dispersal throughout the earth. Yet, many communities display shared core tenets: care for the land, care for the people, and care for the protection of their community’s survival. As such, many spiritual practices are actively closed from outside communities. White spiritualists claim these values as ‘gatekeep-y’, actively ignoring indigenous advice and continuing to scavenge for parts of our cultures that seem appealing to them. The use of white sage, palo santo, the veneration of the Orishas, the reclaiming of shamanist titles; all of which are closed and only for their respective communities.
Growing up in a spiritual and indigenous family, I understood the importance of having pride in my own spiritual practices, as well as the grave danger that it faces due to external influences. Either due to not being allowed to forage for herbs and plants, the destruction of spiritually-charged natural places of worship, or even the forced assimilation instigated by the Catholic church on the Philippine archipelago.
But as indigenous peoples we persevere, defying the colonial mindset and keeping our roots and traditions alive.
However, TikTok’s infamous algorithm has exacerbated the commercialisation and commodification of indigenous spiritual practices. Dubbed “WitchTok”, spirituality has been sold online through viewer count on tarot and astrological readings, spiritual manifestation, and more. These platforms then lure out the gullible to sell traditional indigenous items to the online community, such as White Sage cleansing, palo santo, and more. TikTok’s bite-sized consumable nature perpetuates this colonising disease. How-to guides on ‘sage-ing’, voudoo and hoodoo love spells, populate the For-You Page, spreading this colonising disease.
The indigenous peoples of Turtle Island (Native Americans), most notably the Chumash, Tongva, Kumeyaay, and the Cahuilla, vehemently discourage the use of white sage outside of their communities. Endemic to the Pacific west coast, Salvia Apiana, known commonly as White Sage, is being mass-harvested and stolen from native foraging lands. WitchTok’s influence on White Sage created large supply demands, making the harvesting of White Sage far more difficult than before. Plant life, in many indigenous communities on Turtle Island, is seen not as a resource but as part of the natural world that is to be respected. Lovingly referred to as ‘grandmother’ by many, it is a herb that has a semi-symbiotic relationship with its peoples, one where the people care for the plant’s growth and the plant care for the people’s spirits.
With WitchTok’s perpetuation of spiritual individualism, ethnic titles exclusive to shamans and spiritual leaders in indigenous communities are also being appropriated. In the Philippines, the Babaylan, Katalonan, Albularyo, and more are the folk healers and leaders of the community in the absence of the community’s chief. The titles of which are being used by non-indigenous Filipinos to either align themselves with spirituality or to recognise the spiritual leader’s role as a typically queer individual. I have seen people claim these titles without understanding the indigenous knowledge that is required to become one. The babaylan is an initiated role that requires years of study and mastery of the spiritual arts and traditional herbology, work that is ignored by many who appropriate the term.
As someone from a family with Albularya roots, traditional healers in herbology, I believe that this appropriation of our culture, even by those who we see as fellow countrypeople, has been exacerbated by the spread of spirituality on TikTok. To see the appropriation of my people’s titles, felt wrong and offensive. Seeing them pillaging of native lands, its history and current continuation is nuts. The sacrilegious acts that offend the gods bring me tears and pain, and all I can blame is the misinformation and individualism that permeate throughout the internet.
These online how-to guides solely exist as a tool for the individual’s spiritual capital gain. Made worse by TikTok’s personalisation, the evaluation of individualism into the highest priority. This belief does not align with indigenous values, and thus lacks any spiritual authority.
You can choose not to believe in its powers, yet it is important to understand that from within the community, its use by spiritual settlers is seen as ‘non-consensual’ or even offensive. Thus, it is thought to ‘backfire’ on outsiders as the ancestors take arms to protect the practices and defend its people from spiritual invasion.
