Retired USAF veteran. Photo by PJ Thorn Photography.

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.

     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.

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.

Thanks to all the volunteers who contributed their artwork for the Poster Contest. 

It was a tight contest, as we had many excellent submissions this year. After much deliberation, the winning piece was “Harvest Moon” by Denise Kupiszewski, shown above. (See more on Denise at www.themudpeddler.com.) This art will be the basis for the posters and t-shirts for this year’s Bluemont Fair—to be held September 17-18, 2016.
     The Bluemont Fair is a country fair that draws thousands of people to the historic village of Bluemont, Virginia each September. The Fair gives everyone the opportunity to visit the beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains to enjoy all kinds of food, juried crafts, interactive exhibits, local beer and wine, excellent music, and so much more.
     And this year we are very pleased to announce that the Bluemont Fair will include an exciting and educational Indian Village (with elements from The Gathering), where we will be celebrating the harvest with Native American dance, regalia, and living history exhibits, set among traditional wigwam and tee pee dwellings.
     We hope to see you all in September!

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.   ​

“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 info4TheGathering@gmail.org, call René at 540-554-8730 or visit www.BluemontFair.org.

Dennis Zotigh and his father are the co-founders of the WORLD HOOP DANCE CHAMPIONSHIPS. Listen to a live recorded interview of Dennis on Native America Calling Radio about the Hoop Dance and its history. Dennis Zotigh is Kiowa, Santee Dakota and Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, offers workshops in Hoop Dance. 

Our goal with The Gathering 2017 is to invite Dennis Zotigh perform the Hoop Dance.

Thirteen local children from Clarke County ages 9 – 12 are invited to help bring in the harvest during The Gathering, a Native American Indian / Virginia Gourd Festival, being held midday on Saturday Oct. 31 and Sunday Nov. 1 at the Clarke County Fairgrounds located at 890 W. Main St. Berryville, VA 22611.

“We need help from farmers, gardeners and vineyards to help select nine more children and provide local harvests of fruit, vegetables, corn or even a basket of eggs,” said René Locklear White executive director and elder for this non-profit event and Native American Indian living in Clarke County. “This effort helps reconnect children to the land. Helps bring back tradition. Helps honor our indigenous. Helps remind us to keep our food sacred. Helps commemorate Thanksgiving. And helps us all celebrate humanity.”

Four families have already registered. Several farms have donated crops for decorations. But more help is needed.

“We have openings for five more boys and five more girls,” according to The Gathering elder Sheila Hansen a local Shawnee Indian and Clarke County resident. “Native American Indian tradition calls for 13 children, 7 boys and 6 girls, to bring in the harvest.”

Farmers and parents can choose their own child or grandchild or sponsor someone else’s child; and provide the produce or basket item for the child to carry. The next nine to call and register will be considered for this year’s “13 Children to Bring in the Harvest” during this traditional Native American Harvest Dance ceremony. There is no fee for children to participate.

The 13 children selected should arrive to the check-in point at the Clarke County Fairgrounds to receive instructions and practice the ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 11:00 am and Sunday Nov. 1 at 12:00 noon to participate in this historic event. Parents must be prepared to have children be available for the duration of the dance ceremony that ends at 4:00 pm each day.

Each child along with two adults/parents receive free admission to The Gathering on both Saturday and Sunday.

The Gathering is an educational, celebration of agri-“cultural” with traditional Native American Indian harvest dance (hosting dancers and singers coming in from the four directions); 14th annual Virginia Gourd Festival (including 45 gourd classes); Kidz Harvest Fest (with close to 300 children pre-registered); traditional cuisine (of Indian fry bread, fish and turkey tacos and sunchoke roots); living history exhibits and trading post vendors (with more than 60 vendors registered); military veteran and uniformed services tribute and much more.

Register by calling 540-554-8730. More information about The Gathering and full schedule of events and menu please visit  www.HarvestGathering.org or Facebook “The Gathering.”

Audio and video of The Gathering is being recorded for historical purposes. Close to 10,000 people are expected to attend the historic event.

The number 13 is found in nature and has historical significance in indigenous cultures around the globe.  To name a few there are 13 full moons in a year, 13 spaces on the back of the turtle and 13 rows on a natural ear of corn.

In Catholicism 13 is associated with Saints and in Judaism the age of maturity. There were thirteen people at Jesus Christ's last supper. In some games there are 13 players on the field. There are thirteen stars on the Great Seal of the United States and thirteen stripes on the American flag. The number 13 is also a Fibonacci number and part of the golden ratio in nature. Thirteen is the sum of Fibonacci numbers five and eight. It is part of a simple pattern, but it appears to be part of a kind of built-in universal numbering system. Each Fibonacci number is the sum of the previous two numbers.

There are 13 petals in ragwort, corn marigold and cineraria. Daisies have  13, 21, 34, 55 or 89 petals. The number of petals in a flower consistently follows the Fibonacci sequence. The head of a flower is also subject to Fibonaccian processes. Sunflowers. Pinecones. Fruits and Vegetables. Branches. Animal bodies. Shells. Spiral Galaxies. Hurricanes. And even faces follow this golden ratio in nature.

In Native American Indian culture there are phrases that speak to how, “we are all related.”

Everyone is invited to The Gathering. Admission is only $5; kids 4 and under free