Knowledge Share Description
As a child in Russia, Tusha was introduced to many creatures who helped her learn diverse habitats, the species who call those places home, and how to engage with them respectfully. Among them were Leshy, keeper of forests; Vodyanoy, guardian of swamps and other still waters; and Baba Yaga, infamous hermit herbalist living at the margin of meadow and forest and on intimate terms with death. In this knowledge share, we will meet a few Slavic ecoregion guardians and hear how they gift care to the land by gifting guidance to people. Participants will be invited to share stories of spiritual beasts of their childhood who have guided them toward respect and reciprocity with the land.
If you are so called: You are invited and encouraged to bring your stories of those who guided you toward respect and reciprocity with the land in your early life.
Knowledge Share Includes
Introduction to Russian (and more broadly - Slavic) environmental mythology
Overview of ecoregions common to the temperate north
Inevitable exaltations for mushrooms, berries, and mosses
Guided conversation centered on our respective early-life environmental teachers - real and imagined
Exchange
$35
$70 reparations (If you have financial abundance, this is our pay-it-forward option to fund our scholarships and work redistributing resources to Black and Indigenous Land Projects)
The zoom link will be sent 1-2 days prior to the knowledge share. Recording will be available for 30 days.
For scholarships please email herbancura@gmail.com with subject Carekeepers
Access Information
*ASR Captioning provided
*Spanish interpretation available (Si requiere interpretacion por favor mande un email a herbancura@gmail.com)
Virtual Gathering
Zoom link will be sent out via email 1-2 days before knowledge share
1-4pm EST
Class will be recorded and available for 30 days
Facilitator
Tusha Yakovleva is a life-long gatherer thanks to her family and first home - Russia - where harvesting plants and mushrooms for food and medicine is common practice. She spent years in the Muheconneok/Hudson River watershed, growing perennials, keeping seeds, running a wild food program, learning the gifts of weeds, and organizing community gardening and forestry efforts. Tusha’s work revolves around generating strong, respectful relationships between plants and people. She is currently a graduate student at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Onondaga Nation homelands, where she studies how to build generous bonds between land and people.