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.  

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.

     Many schools teach their K-12 students that all Indians are dead. According to Indian Country Today Network, studies show a stagger 87 percent of references to American Indians in all 50 states portray them in pre-1900 context, which means students are graduating high school without even basic knowledge we Indians are still alive.
      Our goal is to raise awareness and raise $27,850 to help bring 14 artists and logistics to work with a core group of 30 students, ages 5-12 years old and seven teachers. The Primary Audience is 45 PK-6 graders ranging from 2-12 years old. The Secondary Audience is parents, artists, community and general public. ​
     Sanctuary on the Trail™ has initiated a new Art in Nature™ educational program with the Village Montessori School in Bluemont, Loudoun County Virginia called, "Artists Teaching Children to Raise a Village." Artists will serve as guides in helping point students and teachers to discovering truths about Virginia's Indians and Indigenous culture with hands-on-experience outdoors.
     Participating Students are from the Village Montessori School in Bluemont, Va. The Montessori school curriculum inspires children to reach their highest potential and develop a love of learning by focusing on the full development of the child, including their physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual growth. 
     Most of the adult artists are already pre-selected. To be added to the Artist Waiting List, please email info4TheGathering.org.
     To Volunteer email us at info4TheGathering.org or call us at 540-554-8730.
     Art in Nature™ is a 501(c)3 non-profit outreach initiative hosted by Bluemont resident and Native American Indian artist René White (Feather) president of Sanctuary on the Trail™ Inc.
     Founded in 2010, our vision and mission is “Helping Leaders First” and acknowledging Indigenous to the world to “Reduce Suffering in the World.” 

 Life Cycle (Science SOL 2.4)

• White-tailed Deer in the Classroom: explore the life cycle of the white-tailed deer with a video, lessons and information to support the Virginia Science Standard of Learning Objective 2.4.

Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries let the Spirit of The Gathering Catch You Oct. 30 - Nov. 1 in Berryville, located 60 Miles west of Washington, D.C. in Clarke County Virginia.

     The Gathering is featured in the Sept/Oct "Back to School" issue of the award winning Child Guide Magazine hitting the news stands soon. All thanks to The Gathering volunteer Jeanne Morton for writing the article, "The Gathering, Native American 101," and Cecilia "Cis" Rhyne editor & Angela Pelleman community mentors for suggesting the idea.
     The article appears on page 20 and is expected to draw hundreds of groups of children to The Gathering Kidz Harvest Fest on Friday, Oct. 30. Photos with the article are of local Native American Louis Campbell (taken by photographer Peter Thornton), and a young Indian boy carrying a gourd, courtesy of the Smithsonian.

     The Child Guide monthly magazine is for families in the quad-state area. Child Guide strives to provide families and educators with a free publication packed with good ideas and quality resources for raising happy, healthy children ... because we believe that being a loving guide for your child is the most important job in the world!

     The Child Guide is a first-rate family magazine  available for free at over 400 locations including elementary schools in seven districts, libraries in seven districts, hospitals, retail stores, child-care centers, doctors' and dentists' offices, gyms and recreation centers, etc.

Register for
Kidz Harvest Fest
One Day Only Offering Oct. 30
The Gathering
Clarke County Fairgrounds
890 West Main Street
Berryville, VA 22611

Kindergarten

K.1 The student will recognize that history describes events and people of other times and places by   a) identifying examples of past events in legends, stories, and historical accounts of Powhatan, Pocahontas, George Washington, Betsy Ross, and Abraham Lincoln; Grade Two

2.2 The student will compare the lives and contributions of three American Indian cultures of the past and present with emphasis on the Powhatan of the Eastern Woodlands, the Lakota of the Plains, and the Pueblo peoples of the Southwest.
2.4 The student will develop map skills by   c) locating the regions of the Powhatan, Lakota, and Pueblo Indians on United States maps;   d) understanding the relationship between the environment and the culture of the Powhatan, Lakota, and Pueblo Indians. Virginia Studies

VS.2 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the physical geography and native peoples, past and present, of Virginia by   d) locating three American Indian language groups (the Algonquian, the Siouan, and the Iroquoian) on a map of Virginia;   e) describing how American Indians related to the climate and their environment to secure food, clothing, and shelter.   f) describing how archaeologists have recovered new material evidence at sites including Werowocomoco and Jamestown;   g) identifying and locating the current state-recognized tribes. * The Essential Understandings, Knowledge, and Skills for Virginia Studies VS.2: Virginia's Native Peoples, Past and Present are listed below. From History and Social Science Standards of Learning Enhanced Scope and Sequence: Virginia Studies

VS.3 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the first permanent English settlement in America by   g) describing the interactions between the English settlers and the native peoples, including the contributions of Powhatan to the survival of the settlers.
VS.4 The student will demonstrate knowledge of life in the Virginia colony by   b) describing how the culture of colonial Virginia reflected the origins of European (English, Scots-Irish, German) immigrants, Africans, and American Indians; United States History to 1865

USI.3 The student will demonstrate knowledge of how early cultures developed in North America by   a) describing how archaeologists have recovered material evidence of ancient settlements, including Cactus Hill in Virginia   b) locating where the American Indians lived, with emphasis on Arctic (Inuit), Northwest (Kwakiutl), Plains (Lakota), Southwest (Pueblo), and Eastern Woodlands (Iroquois).   c) describing how the American Indians used the resources in their environment.
USI.4 The student will demonstrate knowledge of European exploration in North America and West Africa by   b) describing cultural and economic interactions between Europeans and American Indians that led to cooperation and conflict with emphasis on the American Indian concept of land.; World History and Geography: 1500 A.D. (C.E.) to the Present

WHII.4 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the impact of the European Age of Discovery and expansion into the Americas, Africa, and Asia by   d) describing the Columbian Exchange, including its impact on native populations; Virginia and United States History

VUS.2 The student will describe how early European exploration and colonization resulted in cultural interactions among Europeans, Africans, and American Indians.
VUS.6 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the major events from the last decade of the eighteenth century through the first half of the nineteenth century by   b) identifying the economic, political, and geographic factors that led to territorial expansion and its impact on the American Indians; Virginia Studies VS.2: Virginia's Native Peoples, Past and Present

Essential Understandings, Knowledge, and Skills

Skills (to be incorporated into instruction throughout the academic year)

• Identify and interpret artifacts and primary and secondary source documents to understand events in history.
• Determine cause-and-effect relationships.
• Compare and contrast historical events.
• Draw conclusions and make generalizations.
• Make connections between past and present.
• Sequence events in Virginia history.
• Interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives.
• Evaluate and discuss issues orally and in writing.
• Analyze and interpret maps to explain relationships among landforms, water features, climatic characteristics, and historical events.

Content

• Know that American Indians were the first people who lived in Virginia.
• Know that American Indians lived in all areas of the state.
• Identify that there were three major language groups in Virginia.
• Know that Christopher Columbus called the people he found in the lands he explored “Indians” because he thought he was in the Indies (near China).
• Know that artifacts such as arrowheads, pottery, and other tools that have been found tell a lot about the people who lived in Virginia.
• Identify the following three major language groups of Virginia:
  • Algonquian languages were spoken primarily in the Tidewater region; the Powhatan were part of this group.
  • Siouan languages were spoken primarily in the Piedmont region; the Monacan were part of this group.
  • Iroquoian languages were spoken in Southwestern Virginia and in Southern Virginia near what is today North Carolina; the Cherokee were part of this group.
• Know that the climate in Virginia is relatively mild with distinct seasons—spring, summer, fall, and winter—resulting in a variety of vegetation.
• Know that forests, which have a variety of trees, cover most of the land. Virginia’s Indians are referred to as Eastern Woodland Indians.
• Describe how Virginia’s American Indians worked with the climate and the environment to meet their basic needs.
• Know that Virginia Indian cultures have changed over time.
• Describe the American Indians’ environmental connections by explaining how the kinds of food they ate, the clothing they wore, and the shelters they had depended upon the seasons. Use the following information as a guide:
  • Foods changed with the seasons.
    • In winter, they hunted birds and other animals and lived on stored foods from the previous fall.
    • In spring, they hunted, fished, and picked berries.
    • In summer, they grew crops (e.g., beans, corn, squash).
• In fall, they harvested crops and hunted for foods to preserve and keep for the winter.
• Animal skins (deerskin) were used for clothing.
• Shelter was made from materials found around them.
• Know that native peoples of the past farmed, hunted, and fished. They made homes, using natural resources. They used animal skins for clothing.
• Know that today, most native peoples live like other Americans. Their cultures have changed over time.
• Know that archaeology is another way to help people understand the past.
• Understand that archaeologists study all kinds of material evidence left by people from the past.
• Understand how recent archaeological digs have recovered new material evidence about Werowocomoco and historic Jamestown.
• Know that Werowocomoco was a large Indian town use by Indian leaders for several hundred years before the English settlers came. It was the headquarters of the leader Powhatan in 1607.
• Know that Jamestown became the first permanent English settlement in North America.
• Know that archaeologists have discovered the site of the original fort and that the recovered artifacts give archaeologists clues about the interactions of the English, Africans, and Indians in early Virginia.
  Know that American Indian people have lived in Virginia for thousands of years.
• Know that American Indians, who trace their family histories back to well before 1607, continue to live in all parts of Virginia today.
• Know that today, eleven American Indian tribes in Virginia are recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia.  The  2010 Virginia General Assembly gave state recognition to three tribes:  the Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Tribe, the Nottoway Tribe, and the Patawomeck Tribe.