When: April 25, 2025 @ 10:00 am
Celebrate the traditional knowledge and foods of the Cherokee people
We are excited to host Bigwitch Indian Wisdom Initiative for this event centered on the sharing of knowledge, joy, and food. Cultivated by Tyson Sampson, who has been learning about and sharing knowledge on regional flora for over two decades, Bigwitch Indian Wisdom Initiative is an apothecary for ethnobotanical accessibility that is rooted in Cherokee cultural wisdom and values. The initiative’s mission is to ensure that cultural plant knowledge continues to be exchanged within the local Cherokee community. Tyson says, “our circle includes Elders, historians, mentors, Cherokee plant experts, and fluent speakers who grow and gather food, walk in the woods together laughing and crying in ways which honor our people, the ancestors and the ancient homeland that shapes who we are.”
More details to come, but this event will include exploring Cherokee stewardship practices, learning plant wisdom and stories, and enjoying traditional foods. We will walk in the woods, lend our ears to Tyson and other Cherokee knowledge keepers, and fill our stomachs with a home-cooked, locally-foraged meal that nourishes more than the body. Due to unforeseen circumstances, location is still TBD, but will be within about 1 hour of Cherokee, NC. Tickets are available for purchase to secure your spot early, or email Skye to be added to an alert list for when a location is chosen.
Click here or here to learn more about Tyson and their work.
Tickets for this event are offered on a sliding scale from $75-$150 and include Cherokee knowledge sharing, a guide nature walk by Tyson, and a home-cooked, and a locally-foraged, traditional Cherokee meal. Participants can expect to fill their bellies and take some home for later. Tickets at the lower end of the sliding scale are offered at a deficit to Mainspring so that this event is more accessible to lower-income participants. The ticket breakdown is as follows:
- $75: Partial base ticket, offered at a $25 deficit to Mainspring.
- $100: Base ticket, allows Mainspring to financially break even.
- $125: Base ticket plus an additional $25 donation that covers full admission for a participant who cannot afford the full base ticket cost. If total donations exceed the cost of this event, any funds left over will be donated to Bigwitch Indian Wisdom Initiative.
- $150: Base ticket plus two additional $25 donations that cover full admission for two participants who cannot afford the full base ticket cost. If total donations exceed the cost of this event, any funds left over will be donated to Bigwitch Indian Wisdom Initiative.
This event is 18+, and will start in the morning and end mid-to-late afternoon. Click here to purchase your ticket (this link will take you to a different website.) This event is weather-dependent. Please leave pets at home.
