Here's an interesting read about a guy who went an interacted with some of the Rainbow people b4 the masses show up.....
Update on the Rainbow Gathering...
I'm human. And, like most, I'm guilty of judging a book by its cover or fearing that of which I do not know. When I heard about this Gathering, I researched the hell out of it. I read/saw some good things and read/saw some bad things in the internet world. You can find this with any group, including hunters and fishermen, that which I would group myself with.
So, I decided to visit Rainbow Gathering at its earliest stages. We're 2 weeks before the actual event but they've already begun to arrive and stage in their chosen area. I went with an open mind and here is what I can tell you.
We approached the first group I saw with my wife and friends. We decided to introduce ourselves with our Rainbow Family names. My wife was Willow. My friends were Phoenix and Kong. I, ofcourse, was Bucknutz.
The group we approached were filthy. It appeared that they were unkempt and hadn't showered in ages. I joked to myself that there were more people than teeth. I could feel that they were sizing us up as much as we were sizing them up. People that know me know that I'm a person with a calming and pleasant demeanor. As I introduced us with a welcoming smile on my face, the interaction was immediately joyous. Put yourself in their shoes. They know what they look like. They see the disdain in your glances. So when we came along with interest in our tones and welcoming arms open, it was game on. About half got out of their chairs to welcome us. I wore the bear hat so I could greet people with "bear hugs" and give them the benefit of the doubt. Opposite of their outward appearance, I knew I couldn't see their hearts and it was going to take some time with them to figure out if they were friendly or not.
Right away, we were greeted by a 27 year old man named Justin. Well, that was up until a few days ago. His new name is Useful. He's a member of the Montana Mud clan.
Clans...the Gathering is made up of hundreds of clans or "families". Each clan sets up their own kitchen or works to eat at another. Turtlesoup was another clan that we met. All of them wanted a bear hug. I can tell you right now that they were relieved to be welcomed and not judged.
Anyway, Useful gave us a tour. It took about an hour and a half as the sun was beginning to set. We didn't have flashlights so he guided us back through the woods to where we were parked. Useful was well spoken. He's lived a hard life. He was in and out of foster care until he was 12 and found the Rainbows as an accepting family. He's been loyal ever since. He is one of the first to arrive and set up water filtration systems, dig latrine ditches, set up kitchens, and apparently, greet goofy locals such as ourselves. Conversation with him was easy and he was patient with all of my questions. He happily answered them all but at times I felt his answers were patronizing because he was just telling us what we wanted to hear.
He introduced us to people along the way. There were some that looked dark and sinister, who wouldn't return our greetings. They looked down or away and ignored us. These individuals stood out as the type that I wouldn't trust.
I don't think I saw a single person that wasn't smoking pot. I don't judge that as a bad thing. I'd rather them being peace loving and high than drunk and disorderly. I've know some pretty awful drunks in my life. Go to a Brewer game...the drunks are the ones that get in fights, not the stoners.
Useful explained that kitchens would be built above ground. They know from past gatherings that root fires are a possibility so they're avoiding that. Useful has a dog that places his front paws on his knee so he can put his jacket on him. His dogs name was Prudence and it knows sign language commands.
When I asked Useful how many visitors we can expect, he said about 6,000. When I asked him if we had any real fears, he said yes. He said there is a sanction of people that are trying to make the Rainbow Gathering into Coachella or a drunken drug induced orgy. He said they can cause trouble. I'm told that these are almost always the young millenial aged people. He said those groups will do harder drugs such as methamphetamine and heroin.
Useful himself promotes sobriety. As a matter of fact, when he's not at these gatherings, he tries to help the homeless become sober. While walking through the woods, we came to a sign that said, "Alcohol Free Zone", so they do take sobriety seriously.
When we made it to the meadow, which is beautiful, we talked about how differences are solved. They gather in a circle to discuss problems and that these discussions can get heated. He said fights and clashes can break out in the woods but very rarely. Most problems are solved in the circle. This circle also acts as a council where they choose future sites. What we didn't know is that some have already been here for some time as scouts. They deemed our woods as inviting and habitable.
They have a visitor's booth, medical booth, and sign booth. This first wave of Rainbows are there to provide some structure to the event. There were signs everywhere but I didn't read them all. Iron River Fire supplied them with a stretcher for emergencies.
Photography is shunned. I asked permission to take some pictures. Useful requested that I not post some online, which are not included here.
Useful acknowledged that no fish have been caught thus far. Not even a bite. (Heehee, hahahaha!)
They've seen bears. They've seen one wolf and heard many more howling the first night.
They have a network of shelters scattered around in the woods.
On the 4th of July, the day will begin with total silence after sunrise. It is their time to peacefully meditate. At noon, everyone one will gather in the meadow and the children will be in the center. It is then that they will cheer and celebrate. The 4th of July will be a huge party and the mass exodus of visitors that have day jobs and do this for vacation will leave on July 5th. He said the bulk of people will be gone July 8th.
Useful said this first wave was early for set up and will stay after clean up is done. As we were walking through the woods, he literally picked up some sort of wrapper from the ground and stuck it in his pocket. He said his crew will not leave the area until it is cleaner than how they found it. They had already picked up beer cans that were at the boat launch. Those beer cans were left by people that are probably judging them as foul. Think about that.
They would be fined if they leave a mess. They would be fined if they went fishing without a license. They can't afford fines. Many are homeless that live like this year around.
Delta...
This is a big deal. You can't stop it. You have three choices in my mind:
1. Ignore it as best as you can. Leave them alone. You don't mess with bees. Ignore them and eventually they'll go away. The people that were there struck me as folks that just want to be left alone or joined.
2. Embrace it as a once in a lifetime experience. They won't be coming back. This is the 48th annual and it's never been in the same place twice. Join in the fun.
3. Fight and clash with them. This option will do nothing for you or the community and might possibly get YOU in trouble.
My takeaway is to stand guarded. Would I feel comfortable out there at night? That's a hard NO. There were some sinister looking people. But, one of these sinister looking dudes greeted us, welcomed us, and PROUDLY gave us a tour. I don't trust all of them but most we encountered were happy to be there and agree that we live in a beautiful place.
The Rainbow Gathering was started in 1972 by Vietnam veterans who came home to a country that spat upon them. They did this to get away from that. Its grown to what it is now, a miniature Woodstock without famous bands. There was the beat of drums or strumming of acoustic guitar everywhere we went. They pride themselves on holding each other accountable for leaving nature unscathed.
