Sheridan Food Forest Event to Feature Northern Cheyenne Native Plants

On August 12, 2024, Pennie Vance, of the PRBRC (Powder River Basin Resource Council, announced that Randall and Linwood Tall Bull will return to Sheridan Food Forest to share more Northern Cheyenne native plant wisdom.

The public is invited to attend the Northern Cheyenne Traditional Foods, Native Plant Uses & Plant Lore event at the Sheridan Food Forest on Aug. 29 at 5:30 pm.

Linwood Tall Bull and his son Randall Tall Bull, enrolled members of the Northern Cheyenne tribe and educators from Chief Dull Knife College, will share stories and traditional uses of indigenous plants in the Food Forest’s Medicinal Garden. Everyone is welcome.

The Northern Cheyenne Medicinal Garden within the Sheridan Food Forest is an ethnobotanical garden, which helps bridge cultural gaps by allowing visitors to experience native plants and the stories they hold. The medicinal garden helps bring cultures together, fosters understanding, and educates visitors about plants that are native to the region.

Northern Cheyenne elder, ethnobotanist, and culture preservationist, Linwood Tall Bull, whose Cheyenne name, Ho’neh’eso means Young Wolf, has spent over 30 years working with tribal health and elderly programs as director of the Shoulder Blade Independent Living Center. Linwood has taught doctors in hospitals how to diagnose native patients using Indian sign language. He is an active member of an ancient warrior society which preserves traditional culture and beliefs. He teaches ethnobotany and other cultural courses at Chief Dull Knife College, Lame Deer, Montana.

Randall James Tall Bull, whose Cheyenne name, H’aest’ohena’hane means Many Skills, is a skilled craftsman of traditional tools, weaponry, and ancient skills. He shares teaching the ethnobotany summer course at Chief Dull knife College. Randall is carrying on the teachings of his father Linwood Tall Bull and grandfather William Tall Bull. He also collects artifacts for the Buffalo Trunk, a hands-on teaching tool used by schools to bring awareness of the importance of the Buffalo to the Indian people.

This event is made possible by the Sheridan Food Forest, Piney Island Native Plants, Powder River Basin Resource Council and the Bighorn Native Plant Society. All plants in the Northern Cheyenne Medicinal Garden are grown by Piney Island Native Plants. The Medicinal Garden was designed and installed by Piney Island Conservation Services.

The Sheridan Food Forest volunteer community developed the Food Forest and provides the necessary workforce for maintenance, growth, and help with educational events. The Food Forest is located at Thorne Rider Park near the pathway.

For more information, please contact Pennie Vance, Powder River Basin Resource Council staff at 307-672-5809 or visit www.powderriverbasin.org.