WNC Entertainment News -- September 16, 2026: For centuries across the American Southeast, native rivercane formed vast, unbroken canebrakes along riverbanks and fragile floodplains. When early explorers and historians traveled the region in the 1700s, they documented expansive "jungles" of cane stretching for miles.
Now, a new documentary film examines the deep historical roots, modern ecological benefits, and cultural revival surrounding this vital native plant.
Directed and produced by David Weintraub, director of the Center for Cultural Preservation, "Raising Cane: The Cherokee and Rivercane" explores both the heritage of rivercane among Southeastern Indigenous peoples and its overlooked potential as a modern conservation tool.
A Plant Entwined with Heritage and Ecology
For the Cherokee and neighboring tribes, rivercane has served as an invaluable resource since time immemorial. Far more than just raw material, cane is tied to identity and memory:
Cultural craftsmanship: Rivercane was harvested to craft intricate utilitarian baskets, blowguns, tools, and woven interior mats that recorded lineage and history.
Daily life and shelter: Indigenous communities used cane in home construction and utilized tender young shoots as a seasonal food source.
Living traditions: Artisans and elders maintain an unbroken lineage of cane management and weaving, passing knowledge across generations.
Beyond its cultural importance, rivercane serves as an ecological powerhouse. Its dense, interlocking root networks anchor riverbanks, arrest severe soil erosion, and buffer delicate floodplains against destructive rising waters.
"When the historians used to walk here in the 1700s, they would talk about this jungle of rivercane that they could walk for miles and miles, and all they saw was rivercane," Weintraub noted, highlighting how significantly the landscape has changed as natural canebrakes declined over centuries of development and agricultural clearing.
Premiere and 15th Anniversary Celebration
The Center for Cultural Preservation will host the public premiere of "Raising Cane" alongside its 15th anniversary celebration:
Date and Time: Saturday, September 19, at 7:00 p.m.
Location: Thomas Auditorium at Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock
Event Highlights: Live music, food, drinks, and anniversary festivities
Panel Discussion: Following the screening, Cherokee elders and regional conservationists will join the audience for a community conversation addressing the future of rivercane, habitat restoration, and traditional basketry
For tickets and additional information about the film, visit SaveCulture.org.
Raising Cane, the Cherokee and Rivercane TRAILER