Tyson Sampson

Faculty

Tyson Sampson is a two-hearted and two-spirited individual who descended from the local indigenous matriarchy called the ᎠᏂᎩᎶᎯ (A-ni-gi-lo-hi). Their home is referred to as The Beautiful Painted Earth. This family is based here in their aboriginal territory most commonly known as the Great Smoky Mountainsides.

Tyson has a background in the healing arts and communications. They (he/she) have been of service to connective circles/family for over 20 years. In multi-faceted contributions, they have worked on everything from documenting endangered language, holding mindful awareness/presence, to sharing wild food practices and cultural sensibilities about Cherokee cuisine. They have contributed to efforts for residents of the Qualla Indian Boundary to have more intimate and legally protective relationships to plants/wild foods in this indigenous bio-region.

Currently, Tyson is cultivating an apothecary for ethnobotanical accessibility, called Bigwitch Botanicals. They are also developing a broader collective to support traditional ecological knowledge for their tribesfolk, called the Oconaluftee Wisdom Initiative.