TEK Walks with Cassius Spears Sr.

390A Summit Road,Exeter RI 02822

23 October, 2021

Description

Traditional Ecological Walk with Cassius Spears Sr., Narragansett cultural educator and food sovereignty advocate at Tomaquag Museum. In the TEK Walks, Indigenous Educators will share Traditional Ecological Knowledge as the group walks in the environment around Tomaquag Museum known today as Arcadia Management Area, but is the homelands to the Narragansett Nation. President of Rhode Island Association Conservation District (RIACD,) Spears has dedicated his life to the preservation of Narragansett culture throughout New England and the world. He remains active in the practice of ethnobotany, traditional home building, and has demonstrated eastern woodlands culture at powwows, museums, college campuses, and film sets across North America. Spears’ passion for healthy traditional lifeways led to the establishment of the Narragansett Food Sovereignty Initiative at Ashawaug Farm. The Tomaquag Museum is Rhode Island's only Indigenous Museum dedicated to sharing the culture, arts, history, and lifeways of the Indigenous people of Southern New England. Tomaquag was awarded the National Medal for Museum and Library Service in 2016, the nation's highest honor given to celebrate institutions that respond to societal needs in innovative ways, making a difference for individuals, families, and their communities. At the Tomaquag Museum, we strive to provide engaging public education that not only promotes thoughtful dialogue but also creates social change that will lead to the empowerment of Indigenous peoples within our communities.