ᎧᏄᎦᎸ - A Special Ice Cream Release

The Hop Ice Cream, in collaboration with Indigenous Walls Project, is truly honored to bring to you a very special ice cream - ᎧᏄᎦᎸ, pronounced “kan-u-ga-lv”, which translates to Blackberry. The ice cream flavor is Wild Blackberry and Frosted Mint, both foraged from the Qualla Boundary. The official release will take place exclusively at The Hop’s location at 640 Merrimon Ave today, Friday, September 16, and will be on the menu while supplies last. The hope is this will be the first of many similar releases.

The initial inspiration for a native influenced flavor came from the Indigenous Walls Project, a local land-back street art project led by Jared Wheatley, dual citizen of the Cherokee Nation and United States. While brainstorming ice cream ideas, Greg and Ashley Garrison, co-owners of The Hop, and Jared were introduced to community members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Immediately the collaboration was strengthened and enlightened by their involvement. A deep connection was established to the ancestral lands of the Cherokee, who have been living here for thousands of years, their culture, and the importance of their language. For the ice cream the wild berries and mint were foraged by a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians on the Qualla Boundary in Cherokee, NC. 

September 16th the collaboration comes full circle with this release. The hope is both to promote the efforts of the Indigenous Walls Project while amplifying awareness of the local Cherokee community and our regional history. Ashley Garrison says, “It is an enormous honor to have collaborated with so many amazing people on this flavor, to have learned so much about Cherokee and native culture. Sustainability is built into the language, the methods of harvesting, the way plants are utilized for not just food… everything is so intentional and everything has a purpose. We want this ice cream to be a conversation starter that will encourage people to be inspired, as I have, by the importance of indigenous communities.”

Says Jared Wheatley about the collaboration, “Food is the medicine and the nourishment that has been provided by the Lands Of the Cherokee for many millennia and is renowned nationally. The Hop has shown great respect and appreciation for Cherokee elders throughout the product development and has embodied the spirit of collaboration that will bring deep and meaningful dialogue to the non-native community about Native Lands and our intimate connection to our lands.”

Coincidentally, the collaboration between The Hop and Indigenous Walls Project began at the same time as another native community movement - the renaming of Clingman’s Dome. “Ashley and I, as owners of a local business, are in full support of the renaming of Kuwohi (formerly known as Clingman’s Dome), and any similar efforts, including the work of Indigenous Walls Project, that acknowledge the history and uplift the culture of indigenous people in our area and beyond,” says Greg Garrison, co-owner of The Hop Ice Cream.

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About Indigenous Walls Project:

The Indigenous Walls Project is an intertribal public art and land back movement that amplifies awareness of native and indigenous culture by leveraging public spaces and business relationships to develop engagement between native and non-native communities. To contribute please visit the website below or contact Jared Wheatley.

Website: www.indigenouswallsproject.com

Phone Number: 828-337-7632

Address: 46 Aston St., Asheville, NC 28801

Instagram: @indigenouswallsproject