​By Jennifer Marburg
Co-Founder SIMPLY Shenandoah Wellness Resort

As we kick of Native American Heritage month, we thought it appropriate to share Part Two of our Native American Wisdom Keepers series (click here for Part One).   

Since the land that is home to our project was occupied for thousands of years by our Native American ancestors, we are committed to honoring its heritage as part of our broader wellness mission. Our neighbors, Rene Locklear White and Chris White, are Simply Shenandoah’s Indigenous Advisors. They are of Lumbee and Cherokee descent, respectively, and live on an archeological site used by Paleo Indians 10,000 years ago.  

Rene and Chris support local leaders by educating them about the traditions and practices of the Indigenous of the Americas. They are helping us integrate proven and traditional wisdom within our design, programming, landscape, and menus. They are also helping guide us to resources that ensure that our ecological restoration efforts align with indigenous best practices so that we can harvest native foods.

Land stewardship and community fellowship will be part of guest’s grounding and awakening experiences during their stay with us. Our vibe is inclusive, not exclusive. And we support the land that supports us through sustainable, energy efficient, organic growing & harvesting practices. I guess you might consider this a way of life or a lifestyle. 

Since meeting Rene and Chris, MY lifestyle has changed quite a bit – not because of them specifically – but things are happening in concert. The type of food I now consume is probably one of the biggest and MOST beneficial changes in my wellness journey. I now have less inflammation and more energy. INCREDIBLE.

Rene and Chris are founders of the non-profit Native American Church of Virginia and are amazing leaders in the community. This was recently recognized in a November issue of e-Publication – Middleburg Life. As well, Rene recently launched a “Food is Medicine” website which is a map to America’s Native Food Trail. This is a digital footprint that guides you through Indigenous culinary traditions and sustainable practices by Native American Indians in the Americas.

We are so grateful to have their support, wisdom, and spiritual counsel. 

~ In peace,  Jennifer Marburg

Introducing Clay Morris to SIMPLY Shenandoah  and the world because it SIMPLY makes sense! Clay's work is critical to humanity.

Clay created "Forgotten Foods Gastronomy" to research and celebrate wild foraged foods and culinary techniques as a means to preserve the knowledge of these foods and methods. He's a wild-food forager with an interest in the contemporary use of such plants. He leads foraging hikes and offers samples of his creations from nature. ​

We and the Marburgs and Greg McCarley have had the opportunity to attend to several of Clay's wild food foraging classes. 

​Clay established and maintains a permaculture system on personal property with a focus on indigenous gardening and food culture interpretation. He accomplished independent studies in agroecology and ethnobotany / currently compiling two ethnobotanical studies: collection of medicinal knowledge from Pamunkey elder and another study of the botanical diversity of the Pamunkey Reservation with the intent of recreating the potential uses of native vegetation during the pre-Colonial period. 

Clay's a loving husband and father a son and daughter who all call Virginia home. Clay traces his ancestry to the Arapaho Nation.

"From Pine Vinegar to Dandelion Root Coffee, this Foraging Hike let's you Sample Local Wild Edibles" Northern Virginia Magazine. 

"Winter Foraging with Clay Morris" Middleburg Life Magazine.