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Please Consider Helping Support this Cultural Rescue Project

6/8/2016

At this time more than ever, we are at risk of losing the understanding of indigenous ways of life and what they stand for. The impact of funding cannot be over-stressed in its ability to help. Your contribution provides to us the support necessary to enable the educational development for both art teachers and students and provides the means of preserving a heritage valuable to all. Contributions are 100% tax deductible for this 501(c)3 Non-Profit Initiative.

Educational Celebration of Art in Nature™ and Indigenous People and Culture Hosted by Art in Nature™ with Sanctuary on the Trail™ and the Village Montessori School in Bluemont, Va.

Photos by Chris Anders and Peter Thornton | PJ Photography

Volunteer!
Contact [email protected] or www.HarvestGathering.org.

Do Indians Wear Hats?

5/16/2016

These are a sampling of the questions children and their parents asked us Native American Indians and volunteers during Kidz Fest this weekend along with our answers:

Q. Do Indians wear hats?
A. Yes, see that Indian over there, his name is Andrew Tyler and he's wearing a hat and he's also a military veteran. I am an Indian too and I like wearing hats.

Q. Is it hard to kill a buffalo?
A. Yes. Buffalo are very fast. Faster than dogs.

Q. What do Indians do?
A. Indians protect the Earth.

Q. Did Indians kill the Pilgrims?
A. Yes Indians killed pilgrims, but a lot of pilgrims killed lot of Indians. A lot of Indians also helped the pilgrims.

Q. What tribe are you from?
A. (We each answered with our own tribal affiliation)

Q. What tribe is this song from?
A. It is an inter-tribal song, where we all can dance together.

More than 400 families asked questions, danced, played games, heard stories, studied Indian maps, ate cookies and talked with us at our Native American Indian booth #9 at KidzFest on the Old Town walking mall in Winchester this weekend.
     In between the rain showers, children spun a wheel filled with options like "Learn and Indian word, Ask and Indian a Question, Learn and Indian Story, Learn an Indian Dance, Sing an Indian Song, Win a prize or a cookie."
   Little boys whom you would never expect to dance in public, were eager to dance with Indian people. Many parents seemed a little reluctant at first to talk to us, but their children rushed up to spin the wheel, learn new words and listen to the drum.
All visitors to our booth expressed interest in attending the Indian Village Sept. 17-18, 2016 at the Bluemont Fair and The Gathering scheduled for Oct. 2017.
According to our Facebook event posting 806 people were interested and 155 reported they attended the Kidz Fest. The Facebook event posting reached a record 49,000 people.

Volunteer Ashley Creek Chickasaw said she told the butterfly story at least 120 times, each time passing out small butterflies she made by hand.
Volunteers Liz Ortiz and Penny Robb Stone danced and sang songs with the children, as Andrew Tyler, who drove six hours to volunteer, played and sang with his Indian drum. Chris Anderson took photos while Sue Peoples and Rene' Locklear White helped people understand the pre-contact map and passed out prizes. Tracey Pitcock and her three children Tiffany, Shawnee & Joey along with Cindy Mann-Tenney and Sue's husband Mitch Peoples, arrived just in time to help talk with hundreds of people passing by and then tear down between rain showers.
Special thanks to the Bluemont Fair committee volunteers Cynthia Morris and Jen Stone and their families who baked dozens of cookies for the children and volunteers. Thanks to Dianne Waddell for helping make extra butterflies. And big thank you to Dario Savarese with Full Circle Marketing who invited us to participate in their Kidz Fest event.
And a BIG thank you to Mary F. for all your work in the background.

Photos by volunteer Andrew Tyler.

Record Numbers Expected to KidzFest in Old Town Winchester VA This Weekend - Participation Meets SOL Requirements

5/10/2016

Booth #9

Great event for children of all ages. Our Indian Booth is Booth #9 at 115 South Loudoun Street Winchester VA this weekend. The Gathering Facebook insights say:

49K reached
1.7K viewed
1K responded
845 interested

See everyone this weekend May 14 11:00 am - 5:00 pm. Cool prizes and information for all ages. Lots of other interactive booths. For a full listing check out: Old Town Winchester KidzFest.

Rain or Shine
Event

NEWS RELEASE: Local Native American Group Announces Grant Match to Build Indian Village in Loudoun County, Virginia

4/15/2016

BLUEMONT, VA – Community leaders Ken and Julia Falke came forward this week providing a local Native American Indian organization $7,500 as a match to state and local grants. This grant is for a new artist residency- / preK-12 school-program called Art in Nature™ facilitated by the not-for-profit group Sanctuary on the Trail™, and involves a host of artists and volunteers teaching children to raise an Indian village in Bluemont, Virginia. The group is working in partnership with the Village Montessori School (VMS) at Bluemont, the Bluemont Citizens Association, and the Bluemont Fair Committee.

“Children in our community are very important to us and we look forward to seeing the results of this effort. Our family’s philanthropy is dedicated to military and veteran wellness and the children in our local community,” said Julia Falke. Mrs. Falke is the co-founder of Boulder Crest Retreat for Military and Veteran Wellness in Bluemont, Va.

This art initiative, proposed by Bluemont resident René Locklear White, is based on a "discovery" model of human development, where students learn concepts from working with materials, rather than by direct instruction alone.

“We are grateful to Ken and Julia Falke for their generosity. They are helping enrich the understanding of our indigenous culture and way of life through our children and our future,” added René White, who is the Art in Nature™ founder and a military veteran.
During phase-one, the children will help prepare the village through sensory-motor activities and by working with materials that develop their cognitive powers through direct experience: seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching, and movement.

During phase-two, they will explore the village and open it up to the public, cultivating a positive awareness of the depth of indigenous culture still thriving in this region.

“It may take a village to raise a child, but I believe it takes artists to help children raise a village,” said Mrs. White, Lumbee Indian artist who led the grant requests along with a half dozen volunteers supporting the grant writing effort.

When the village opens this fall, the general public will be surprised to find out how many things they do not know about Native American Indian people. This initiative is also an opportunity for children and volunteers to be ambassadors for this underrepresented group and their culture.

The target audience is 45 Montessori school children of ages from 2- to 12-years old, along with seven teachers. The children will participate in building a wigwam/yahkin, erect a tee pee, build and paint drums, learn to cook food over open fires, and much more. Later in the fall, the children will open the Indian village to the public during a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Bluemont Fair on Sept. 17-18, 2016.

Leading the construction for the dwellings is Chris White, CEO of Sanctuary on the Trail™, a class-A general contractor and self-taught engineer. Mr. White is of Cherokee descent and a wood and stone artist.
Debbie Johnson-Conti of the Sauk & Fox Nation will assist Mr. White with developing the blueprints and obtain appropriate materials for building the yahkin or wigwam. It was common for women to actually build the structures on the east coast, according to Powhatan oral histories and eye witnesses’ accounts recorded by early settlers in Virginia.

Display by Debbie Johnson-Conti of the Sauk & Fox Nation during The Gathering 2015, which including cooking food over an open fire. (Photo at The Gathering 2015 by June Krupsaw)

Dancer at The Gathering 2015 held at the Clarke County fairgrounds. (Photo by Peter Thornton | PJ Photography)

Ken and Julia Falke

The children and the general public will have an opportunity to meet more than 15 supporting artists who represent a spectrum of diversity from minorities and people with disabilities to military-veterans and senior-citizens. Many are Native American Indian artists coming in from across Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and New Mexico. They include bead designers, wood workers, cooks, flintknappers, dancers, musicians, singers, story-tellers, engineers, and more.

“Ken and Julia Falke’s investment in programs that promote Art and Artists in education ignites a compelling national interest,” Mrs. White added.
According to multiple reports, “a staggering 87 percent of references to American Indians in all 50 states’ academic standards portray them in a pre-1900 context.” That means students are graduating from high school without even basic knowledge of contemporary Native challenges or culture.

“At this time more than ever, we are at risk of losing the understanding of indigenous ways of life and what they stand for,” Mrs. White said, explaining that she took to her oath in the military to protect and defend to heart. “The impact of funding cannot be over-stressed in its ability to help us. It provides to us the support necessary to enable the educational development for both teachers and students. It provides the means of preserving a heritage valuable to all.”

“Native American Indian people have a rich heritage in the arts, but also in science, technology, engineering, and math or STEM,” said Michael Gress, VMS owner. “Indigenous contributions to the globe affect what we eat today, influence ecology, and inspire sustainable living. We are excited for our children to participate in this innovative program.”

VMS utilizes a unique prepared environment, indoors and out, which utilizes the sensitivity that children have to take in impressions and organize them through their senses. The approach is hands-on and child-centered.

“The Montessori-way recognizes and values the human spirit in the development of the whole child – physically, socially, emotionally, and cognitively,” said Toby Gress, head of VMS. “Our students will embrace the experience of this collaboration which mirrors and supports our current method of instruction.”

The team’s goal is to raise $27,850 for the artists, materials, and supplies needed to bring this program to Loudoun County. With Ken and Julia’s contribution of $7,500, the team still plans to raise $20,350 through community contributions and other grant opportunities.

ther sponsors, partners, and donors from the community are invited to support and participate in this cultural education program. This is a 501(c)3 non-profit initiative and all contributions are tax deductible.

More than 100 volunteers help the Whites field-test Art in Nature™ and Sanctuary on the Trail™ activities outside the classroom to ensure they are well-received by students, teachers, families, and the public alike.

Last year, commuters may remember seeing a tee pee while driving along US Highway-7 between Leesburg and Winchester at Clermont Farm on the corner of Berryville Main Street. Mr. White designed the structure with help from a Navajo/Dine artist who plans to drive from New Mexico to participate in this program.

Additionally, the team hosted “The Gathering 2015” an educational celebration of agri-culture held last fall at the Clarke County fairgrounds. Close to 5,000 people attended the Native American Indian harvest festival. Next year, “The Gathering 2017” is expected to draw 20,000+ people on Oct. 20-22, 2017.

This Indian village project would not be possible without the support of Jen Stone and her Bluemont family who have volunteered their private property to create the village, the Bluemont Citizens Association, and the Bluemont Fair Committee, who incorporated the grand opening of the village into the 2016 Bluemont Fair.

“We’re thrilled to have the Indian Village as part of our rural, historic Bluemont Fair,” said Bluemont Fair Co-Chair Cynthia Morris (with Jen Stone). “The Native American heritage of our area has been underrepresented in the past. This is an exciting opportunity to remind people of those who were here long before the events that we usually talk about when we reference local history. The Indian Village will be an exciting addition to our Fair—everyone is invited to join us in Bluemont on September 17 & 18, 2016, and experience it for themselves!”

To volunteer or contribute visit www.HarvestGathering.org, email [email protected], call René at 540-554-8730 or visit www.BluemontFair.org.

Donate

Fair Trade of Chocolate during Kidz Harvest Fest Oct. 30

10/26/2015

"Chocolate: Making it Fair" by My Neighbor and Me from Berryville VA. Children will learn about chocolate and more.

29 Boy Scout Merit Badges to work on at The Gathering Oct. 30 - Nov. 1

10/20/2015

There are 29 of the 100 Boy Scout merit badges available to work on during The Gathering Oct. 30 - Nov. 1 at the Clarke County Fairgrounds in Berryville, Va.
“This is one of those ‘once in a life-time’ opportunities for youth in our community,” said Rene’ White retired USAF and executive director for The Gathering. “Boy Scouts should get in touch with their

merit badge counselor and explain that they want to earn badges at this historic Native American / Virginia Gourd Festival.”
The Gathering is chuck full of opportunities to recognize the achievements of your Cub Scouts and Adult Awards as well. With the help of a counselor / parent, here are the official requirements of the Boy Scouts of America web site and includes these badges that can be worked on or completed at The Gathering:

American Cultures Badge. Choose The Gathering as your festival and talk with Native American Indians from different tribes. Learn a Native American Indian song, dance or story.

Can Almost be Completed at The Gathering.

American Heritage Badge. Look at Native American Indian political leaders and the influence of Native American Indian contributions to the Declaration of Independence.

Partial Completion at The Gathering.

Archaeology Badge. Investigate Native American Indian artifacts in Virginia using clues Indian people left behind. Try to understand how and why Indigenous culture has changed through time. Learn to make an arrowhead at The Gathering. Visit the Paleo-Indian Site in Clarke County, Va.

Partial Completion at The Gathering.

Archery Badge. Study with experts at The Gathering who can provide an introduction to those who are new to the bow and arrow. Learn to flint nap too.

Collect information at The Gathering to help complete this one.

Architecture Badge.
Contact us to help erect a tee pee. Learn what the parts of a tee pee are and actually assemble a real one. The tee pee goes up before The Gathering, probably on Oct. 26-27. Contact [email protected] to find out more. Learn about other Native American Indian shelters.

Partial Completion at The Gathering.

Art Badge. Take 45 Gourd Classes offered at The Gathering. Talk with the gourd vendors selling and teaching about gourd products. Talk with master gourd artists about the history and design principles of this fine art. Build useful tools using gourds. Make a gourd drum, lamp stand, gourd rattle and more. Visit the Three Sisters Art Show at the Barns of Rose Hill two miles away in Berryville Va.

Much of this can be accomplished during The Gathering.

Backpacking Badge. Backpack to The Gathering and camp out over the weekend. Develop an even deeper respect for the outdoors.

Aggressive troop leaders are invited to bring boy scouts to camp out at The Gathering. Call to discuss tent camping rates or barter.

Basketry Badge. Study Native American Indian basketry techniques and designs. Weavers will also be at The Gathering teaching weaving, which could carry over into your basket weaving techniques.

Small amount of info at The Gathering; watch, meet and learn weaving techniques from master yarn weavers.

Camping Badge. Pitch a tent in Tee Pee Town at The Gathering with your leader or family. Join others around a fire as we celebrate Thanksgiving and humanity at The Gathering.

Aggressive troop leaders are invited to bring boy scouts to camp out at The Gathering. Call to discuss tent camping rates or barter.

Collecting Badge. Collect and study Native American Indian leather-works, arrowheads, jewelry, fabrics and more. Join us at the Twilight Auction on Sat. Oct. 31 and watch and participate in collecting all types of things including a bone knife.

Begin collecting Native American Indian items, gourd items or earth friendly things available at The Gathering.

Emergency Preparedness Badge. Talk with professional emergency preparedness professional and with first responders with the Blue Ridge Fire and Rescue at The Gathering. Learn to react to an emergency situation.

Collect information at The Gathering to help with this badge.

Fly-fishing Badge. Participate in live fly-fishing demonstrations at The Gathering with Project Healing Waters. This non-profit helps military veterans deal with PTSD using fly-fishing.

Accomplish most of this at The Gathering (bring your requirements list).

Forestry Badge. Study with vendors at The Gathering like the Master Naturalist and U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conversation Service. Talk with a Native American Bee Keeper and learn about bees and trees.

Interview and collect info at The Gathering for this badge.

Gardening Badge. Meet, study and visit Master Gardeners, Master Naturalist, Registered Medical Herbalist and Agricultural Exhibits at The Gathering. Be sure to visit the USDA interactive soil display.

Visiting The Gathering should count as a visit to your county extension agent’s office or university. Learn how honey bees are used in pollinating food crops and problems facing the bee population today. Learn about garden pests and solutions. Learn about organic methods.

Genealogy Badge. Exploring your roots to determine if you have Native American Indian ancestry. The Gathering Genealogist will not be able to attend The Gathering, but you can call her. Her name is Ms. Joyce and she lives in Pinckneyville, IL. Her phone number is (618) 303-6164. Discovery your Indian ancestors.

Contact The Gathering's professional genealogist to get ideas on how to begin your family tree. Find out if you have Native American ancestry.

Geocache Badge. Participate and learn about Native American Indian Games and Geocaching at The Gathering. The word geocache is a combination of "geo," which means "earth," and "cache," which means "a hiding place." Geocaching describes a hiding place on Mother Earth.

Receive an introduction to Geocache through Native American games during Friday's Kidz Harvest Fest Oct. 30.

Indian Lore Badge. Far different from the stereotypes or common images that are portrayed on film, on television, and in many books and stories, American Indians have many different cultures, languages, religions, styles of dress, and ways of life. To learn about these different groups is to take an exciting journey of discovery to The Gathering where you can meet some of America's most fascinating peoples.

Complete this one at The Gathering.

Leatherwork Badge. Explore different types of leather and hides from masters Trading Post Vendors and Living History Exhibitors at The Gathering. Learn to make a useful leather items using the same types of raw materials that our ancestors used; be challenged to master skills like hand-stitching, lacing, and braiding.; and learn how to preserve and protect leather items so they will last a lifetime and beyond.

Nearly complete this one at The Gathering.

Music Badge. Study the Native American Indian drum and singers during the traditional Harvest Dance. The songs have different meanings and purposes. Feel free to talk with the singers and drummers. Our host drum is Yellow Child Singers (Bi'yazhi' li'tsoi) which represents the young yellow buffalo. Our guest drum is Storm Boyz. Help preserve this rich culture.

Partially complete this at The Gathering: attend a live performance; learn Native American musical instruments; learn to make a gourd drum; learn a Native American Indian song or hymn.

Nature Badge. There is a very close connection between the soil, the plants, and all animal life, including people. Understanding this connection, and the impact we have upon it, is important to preserving the wilderness, as well as to our own well-being as members of the web of nature. Experts are available for you at The Gathering.

Get a great start on this badge at The Gathering talking with experts.

Photography Badge. Be creative at The Gathering. Capture historic images of our countries First Peoples TODAY. Indian people live and thrive today. Capture them at The Gathering and record a new history. Your photos will help tell us about this time in history.

Choose The Gathering as your topic of interest to photograph for an exhibit. Get your counselor's approval, then photograph Native American dancers, drummers and singers, bee keepers and more.

Plant Science Badge. Talk with a Master Naturalist and Registered Medical Herbalist at The Gathering to make a drawing and identify five or more parts of a flowering plant. Interview a Native American Bee Keeper from West Virginia about how honeybees and other pollinating insects are important to plant life. Find out about the 10 local native plants growing near you that Native American Indigenous People used and still use.

Study and bring the requirements for this one to The Gathering; interview experts and gain helpful information to make earning this badge easier.

Public Speaking Badge. Contact the Executive Director of The Gathering (Mrs. Rene' 540-554-8730) and let her know you would like to give a 10-minute speech on a topic about Native American people and culture, Gourd art / history, agriculture or the environment. Deliver it in a conversational way at The Gathering.

Complete this requirement at The Gathering.

Reading Badge. Meet 10 different authors and illustrators at The Gathering. If you have ever wanted to go back in time or read about a fantasy place or just curious about the world, these are all reasons why you should want to read. Reading is fascinating. Get the books directly from the author at The Gathering.

Work on this badge by reading about the world around you from any two authors at The Gathering.

Soil and Water Conservation Badge.
Conservation isn't just the responsibility of soil and plant scientists, hydrologists, wildlife managers, landowners, and the forest or mine owner alone. It is the duty of every person to learn more about the natural resources on which our lives depend so that we can help make sure that these resources are used intelligently and cared for properly. The USDA is at The Gathering. Let them help you with your badge.

Collect information from experts to create much of the requirements for this badge at The Gathering: soil, soil erosion, conservation, watershed and water pollution.

Sustainability Badge. Get ideas for a sketch depicting how you would design a sustainable community at The Gathering. Write in your own words the meaning of sustainability. Present your speech as part of the Public Speaking Badge.

With information gained from The Gathering draw a rough sketch depicting how you would design a sustainable community. Find out about factors that are considered sustainable materials. Explore and learn about sustainable basics towards earning this badge.

Swimming Badge. Stop by the Living History Exhibit with KIDS FIRST Swim Schools in Winchester will be explaining Native American Indian contributions to swimming. Add that to your swimming badge requirements.

Learn how basic swimming survival skills have a place in Native American Indian history. Incorporate what you learn at The Gathering into your presentations about swimming.

Wilderness Survival Badge. In their outdoor activities, Scouts learn to bring the clothing and gear they need, to make good plans, and do their best to manage any risks. But now and then, something unexpected happens. When things go wrong, the skills of wilderness survival can help make everything right again. Learn survival skills at The Gathering.

Learn how to make part of your personal survival kit by hand from what you learn at The Gathering. Learn how to start fires. Learn ways to protect yourself. Learn about animal skins and how to create proper clothing. Learn about edible plants and more. Great information to help with this badge at The Gathering.

Woodcarving Badge. Talk with Rose Powhatan Living History Exhibitor Professional Storyteller and master woodcarver. Mrs. Rose is known in Virginia for her carvings of totem poles. Talk with her about the basics of design, along with material selection and tools and techniques, as well as wood-carving safety.

At The Gathering learn carving techniques and learn about different woods from Master Totem Artist Rose Powhatan.

Let the Spirit of The Gathering Catch You

Indigenous Story-Teller Rose Pwohatan a Feature during Kidz Harvest Fest Friday Oct. 30

9/29/2015

Rose Powhatan is co-founder/director of the Powhatan Museum of Indigenous Arts and Culture. She is descended from the Pamunkey (mother) and Tauxenent (father) Indian Tribes of Virginia. Ms. Powhatan also works as an artist/historian/storyteller.

Children and adults will have an opportunity to hear Ms. Powhatan share stories at The Gathering Kidz Harvest Fest on Oct. 31. For information about the Kidz Harvest Fest CLICK HERE.

Rose Powhatan is a mixed-media artist, educator and cultural practitioner. She earned her honors undergraduate and graduate degrees in studio arts, art history and education from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and completed graduate studies at
University of London (in the UK).

As a visual artist, Ms. Powhatan has created paintings, murals, installations, prints, and totem
poles- all infused with culturally-based Eastern Woodlands symbolism. She is also a storyteller whose film work includes her appearances in "The New World", the HBO mini-series "John Adams", and Jamestown Settlement's "1607:A Nation Takes Root".

Ms. Powhatan's work as an educator and curriculum writer includes her having taught studio arts, theatre and humanities courses in the United States and the United Kingdom for over 25 years, in addition to her authorship of new courses and instructional materials. Her creative writing consists of autobiographical and
historical material, as well as staged plays.

Numerous awards have been presented to Ms. Powhatan in recognition of her diverse achievements in the arts, education and community service. Select board memberships include the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the Nation's Capital, the Intertribal Women's Circle, and ATLATL National Native Arts Network (the nation's premiere Native American arts organization).

Ms. Powhatan is also a former Cafritz Foundation and Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Fellow, whose membership in the British Fulbright Scholars Association underscores her support for promoting positive international solidarity. She is the Assistant
Chief of the Tauxenent Nation of Fairfax County and the tribe's 2007 co-founder.

Times

2005: Rose Powhatan with her contemporary Eastern Algonquin totem. The sculpture, made from wood, vines, clay and adorned with wild turkey feathers, honors her ancestor Keziah Powhatan.

VIP Group Tour Registration OPEN for Kidz Harvest Fest NOW - Be the First to Visit the Educational Villages Oct. 30 (One Day Only)

9/25/2015

Sign up early for Kidz Harvest Fest Special VIP Group Tours and Advance Ticket Sales for the First Tour Groups of the Educational Villages that begin at 10:00 am on Friday Oct. 30. CLICK HERE to get a VIP Group Tour registration packet now before it fills up.

General Admission Opens to ALL AGES at 11:00 am Friday, Oct. 30.