Workshop led by Dawn and Cassius Spears at Ashawaug Farm, Ashaway
Come spend an evening at Ashawaug Farm and learn how Narragansett Tribal members, Dawn and Cassius Spears, utilize contemporary methods and traditional practices to balance cultural preservation with future generations’ importance. In this workshop, participants will explore how the Farm integrates art and agriculture to expand knowledge of Narragansett foodways, supports community health and cultural revitalization, and promotes food sovereignty.
Ashawaug Farm is the only Indigenous owned and operated farm in Rhode Island. Its six acres of land are rooted in rich Narragansett silt loam soil, and support organically cultivated crops and flowers growing alongside woodlands and wild-growing fruits and herbs in present-day Ashaway, RI (Ashawaug is the Narragansett/Niantic translation of Ashaway). The land is protected by Dawn and Cassius who, along with the help of their children, grandchildren, and extended community of supporters, sell a variety of heirloom, culturally relevant, and indigenous crop varieties at their farmstand and at local farmers’ markets. They also offer agricultural and art internships, workshops, and seasonal programming.
*2026 RIEEA Workshop Series, based on the theme of this year’s Summit: Education Through Cultivation: Rooting Teaching, Farming, & Healing in Relationship to the Land, will be co-facilitated by Rhode Island community members. They will share how they connect audiences of all ages with the living systems that sustain us.
ABOUT THE FACILITATORS
Dawn Spears (Narragansett/Choctaw) is a multimedia artist, farmer, cultural educator, and advocate for Indigenous arts and food sovereignty. As the owner and operator of Ashawaug Farm, her work is deeply rooted in the vibrant colors of the natural world, Indigenous cultural symbolism, and the connection between art, land, and community. In addition to her artistic practice, Dawn supports Indigenous artists throughout the Northeast by facilitating art markets, professional development opportunities, and initiatives that increase the visibility and vitality of Indigenous arts and culture.
Dawn serves on the Hopkinton Conservation Commission, the Farm Service Agency County Committee, and the Board of Directors for The Avenue Concept. She is also actively involved in her Tribal community through service on the Economic Development Regulatory Commission and the Screening Committee. Together with her husband, Cassius Spears, Dawn co-founded the Narragansett Food Sovereignty Initiative. Their work supports the preservation, education, and continuation of Indigenous culture, traditions, and foodways. For more than thirty years, Dawn has taught and demonstrated traditional and contemporary Indigenous arts while continuing to exhibit and sell her work through galleries, markets, and cultural events throughout the region.
Cassius Champlin Spears Sr. (Narragansett/Niantic) has dedicated his life to preserving and sharing Narragansett culture throughout New England and beyond. A respected traditional knowledge keeper, he remains actively engaged in the practices of ethnobotany, traditional Eastern Woodlands home building, and Indigenous lifeways. For decades, Cassius has demonstrated these cultural traditions at powwows, museums, colleges and universities, cultural institutions, and film productions across North America, helping to educate diverse audiences about the history, resilience, and living traditions of Indigenous peoples.
Driven by a passion for healthy traditional lifeways and Indigenous food systems, Cassius founded the Narragansett Food Sovereignty Initiative, an effort dedicated to maintaining, restoring, and sharing Indigenous agricultural knowledge and practices. Together with his wife, Dawn Spears, he owns and operates Ashawaug Farm in Ashaway, Rhode Island, where farming, cultural education, and community engagement are woven together through traditional stewardship of the land.
Cassius also works with the USDA to facilitate collaborative Tribal-USDA initiatives that honor Tribal values, priorities, and traditional ecological knowledge. Widely recognized for his expertise, he continues to live from the land while teaching these practices to future generations through hands-on mentorship and community education. His cultural knowledge has also contributed to film and television productions, including Askiboyz and Crooked Arrows, and he served as a cultural advisor for We Shall Remain: After the Mayflower, helping to ensure authentic Indigenous representation.
Throughout his career, Cassius has held numerous leadership positions in conservation and natural resource stewardship. He has served as President of the Rhode Island Association of Conservation Districts (RIACD), Vice Chair of the Southern Rhode Island Conservation District, and Regional Co-Chair of the Regional Tribal Conservation Advisory Committee (RTCAC) for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Native Land Conservancy, continuing his lifelong commitment to protecting Indigenous lands, culture, and traditional knowledge for future generations.