2015 Gathering

The 44th annual rainbow gathering of the tribes is happening in the Black Hills of South Dakota." (The consensed areas include Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, and South Dakota.) For posts related to the gathering location including directions and site updates, click here. For the Howdy Folks, click here. To find out specifically where the gathering will be, you need to understand how we find our "home" each year. Click here for an overview of the process. To make it into the gathering without a ticket, click here. Please ignore all rumors of cancellation. Copy and distribute this information freely.

Friday, June 19, 2015

Spring council updates (guest post)

Today's guest post comes from "sibling."  Enjoy!




There is so much being said about the happenings at spring council from people who are not there, and this is usual. Please remember, if you are not there you, well, you are not there! It is difficult to watch it from afar; especially difficult is sifting out the truth out of what we hear.

I got involved on the phone with those that are opposed to the way that the spring council and the gathering have been evolving. These people are passionate about their cause for good, very good reasons. There is so much here that we do not understand because so many of us come from a place of whiteness and/or privilege. We come from – our values, our reactions, our expectations – the dominator culture. The concepts of domination and privilege are so deep in our psyche we have a difficult time seeing it. Know that it is there, be gentle on yourself and others as we explore and discover these deep issues. Every person can learn something new about this.

I bring this up because I have spoken to a few participants in the Strong Heart Solidarity Project and respect the work that they do. There are some very important messages that I have taken away from those conversations with these passionate and engaged activists.

One of them mentioned that they are interested in doing some skill-­shares on the land. One of the skill-­shares they do is called Decolonization & Unsettling White Privilege. They describe this event as one that “may be provocative to the euro-­ centric mind.” Imagine that! YES! These concepts are provocative – they will irritate your inner peace, they will create a strong reaction—they are designed to shake us up. Up and out of our shells of complacency. We need to move further, yes further so we can become better allies to all of those oppressed by the dominator culture. I do hope that the Strong Heart Lakota Solidarity Project can come and do some skill-­ shares on the land, wherever we gather. We need this – who is the “we”? The human species is the “we”! I do hope that this and other skill-­shares can happen.

The self-­governed volunteer body that we call and do each spring before the gathering, our council, is a rare thing in this country. This practice that the rainbow gathering experience has shaped is only one of the alternatives to the dominator culture. We have no rules; we have traditions and very few, at that. We pass an object most likely to the left, and we strive to listen to the one with the object that has been selected for the purpose of focusing and taking turns. This process, our process, is undisciplined, time consuming, and radical because it allows for freedom of expression. Know that it has always worked out for the purpose of the gatherings, and know that when one engages the heart and the mind, the best will come through.

Let the process work. Be patient. Let the all the voices be heard. We all want respect. But what does that look like? Here are some suggestions on how to be respectful: practice tolerance and patience; be concise; be on topic; speak from your heart and mind – do not speak for others or about others; wait your turn, if you need to bring a – do it; and something to write with so you will be prepared to present your ideas when it is your turn; be watchful for new people entering the circle – if there is no established method for new folks entering the circle, be mindful of other who may not know how it works; no name calling; and use “I” statements versus “we” or “you” – own your feelings, thoughts and ideas.

So please, it is often difficult, please remain calm, and know that within and throughout spirit(s) is walking with us and let us remain open to our highest purpose.

In solidarity and peace.
Just another sibling

2 comments:

  1. This is not very informative, Babs. People just want to know what's happening and why the scouts would drag us into a treaty dispute against true way of respect. Causing split in tribes is disrespectful and people need to seek harmony not "justification".. Peace to you I hope you wake up some day.

    ReplyDelete
  2. To whomever knows me and values my opinion:

    It is my understanding that many people may be planning on coming to the Michigan regional rather than go to the National, or going anywhere else for that matter. .

    TSK had a regional last year over the fourth, and only about 150 people came, and that seemed about a good size for the area. I was against doing it again this year because of this very issue, which is people seeing it as an alternative to the National Gathering for everybody, not just a few people in Michigan who couldn’t make it to the National.

    So this is what I’ve got to say about it now:

    If you are coming to Michigan rather than go to somewhere else because of whatever reason, and you think that it’s going to be in some nice spot, and there’s going to be the same old Turtle Soup Kitchen there doing the usual Turtle thing, you are most likely going to be disappointed.

    The regular TSK members who have been doing it for all these years are going to be poorly represented in the making of this Gathering. I would suggest taking anything heard from people regarding this gathering with a grain of salt.

    I don’t think it will be a healthy place to bring your tribe. It’s too close to town, and road runs right to it. There would be water shortages. You know, there’s a reason people from Michigan go away in the middle of summer when they can; it’s hot, humid, and there are a lot of bugs. Our National Forest’s are in smaller parcels than out west, and the’re spread around.

    My advise is to not come to Michigan as an alternate gathering.

    David Darling.

    ReplyDelete

Please keep your comments to the point. Any comments advocating violence, sexism or racism will not be published. You don't have to agree with me, but you can't cuss me or anyone else out either. As of 6/11/15 I'm not sure how I will be publishing comments. Too many people just submitting the same comment over and over again and I'm overwhelmed by trying to sort this out. So feel free to comment, but understand I may not be approving all comments.