Mark Warren Presents "Through the Eyes of the Cherokee"

To understand that the forest supplied everything that the Cherokee needed is to grasp the essence of Native American life. In this program the familiar is elevated to the unique. We’ll explore the crafts and lore of Cherokee life, including the use of wild plants for foods and medicines. With a little imagination, participants can step back in time to pre-Columbian days. These resources still exist around us and continue to be useful to those who follow in the footsteps of the first inhabitants of this land.

Quote from Mr. Warren: “All of us who live in Tennessee, North Carolina or the northern third of Georgia reside on land that once belonged to the Cherokee tribe. While these native people led lives of intense daily interaction with their natural surroundings, most folks today have reduced nature to a backdrop of scenery. The great deficit in this scenario is our lack of understanding that we still depend upon nature. That dependency is largely hidden to us, especially to the new generations that come along to take over the 'rules' of how we behave with nature — air to breathe, water to drink, energy to consume for our daily actions. These are commodities that are easy to take for granted. If taken for granted, humans will have no reason to respect and conserve the pieces of the puzzle we call ecology."

The Books: Warren’s 45 years of teaching have culminated into his highly anticipated series of books called Secrets of the Forest. This four-volume nature series is not only written for the “survivalist,” but it is also designed to help teachers, parents, and outdoor leaders know how to engage students in fun and educational activities. There are hundreds of original projects – all richly illustrated or photographed – that delve into survival skills, plant study, using natural foods, medicines, and craft materials, ceremony for youth, fire-creation, animal stalking and tracking, adventure games in the forest and field, archery, spear/knife/tomahawk-throwing, and a comprehensive canoeing program from lake to whitewater.

Review by Todd Walker from Survival Sherpa: “If you’ve ever wondered how to transfer lost knowledge and skills to our next generation, this book series is your guide. Mark is no newcomer in the world of primitive skills and nature study. He’s been passing on his knowledge to young and old for over a half century. I’ve had the pleasure of attending several of his classes in Dahlonega, Georgia. Mark is a walking encyclopedia of earth-lore and the skills required to call Nature home.”

Author Bio: Mark Warren is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in Chemistry/Pre-med. Following undergraduate college work Mark pursued music composition and arrangement at Georgia State University, while performing original works in various concerts, scoring plays for The Academy Theater and having his suite The Once and Future King performed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

In 1980, working through the Georgia Conservancy, Warren designed and taught Georgia’s first statewide environmental education workshops for public schools, which reached thousands of teachers all over the state. For this project the National Wildlife Federation honored him as Georgia’s Conservation Educator of the Year. In 1998 Warren became the U.S. National Champion in whitewater canoeing. In 1999, he won the World Championship Longbow title.

Mark Warren owns and runs Medicine Bow Wilderness School in the Southern Appalachians near Dahlonega, GA. He has taught survival courses to thousands of schools and groups all over the Southeast and as far southwest as the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park … northwest to Washington State … north to St. Croix Scenic River Park in Minnesota. He has also taught a special course on survival/nature at Young Harris College as an adjunct professor.

Warren has written extensively for regional and national magazines, including: Guernica, Blue Ridge Highlander, North Georgia Journal, Georgia Backroads, Camping, Paddle, Survivor’s Edge and Mother Earth News.

His published books include:
* Two Winters in a Tipi, a memoir
* Secrets of the Forest, nature and survival skills
* Wyatt Earp: An American Odyssey an historical novel trilogy comprised of:
*Adobe Moon
*Born to the Badge
*Promised Land
*Indigo Heaven, (coming in 2021) a novel of 1870’s Wyoming

 

The Venue:
Brasstown Bald
2941 GA-180 Spur
Hiawassee, GA 30546
(706) 896-2556

The Programs:
July 26 at 1:00 PM
August 15 at 11:00 AM

Program admission is $5 (in addition to park entrance fee). Pre-registration is highly recommended as spaces are limited. To sign up for this program, please click on the following link. https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/brasstownbald/items/241354/calendar/2020/08/?full-items=yes&flow=16213

All of Mr. Warren’s books will be available for sale and signing after the program.