40th Annual Native American
Elders and Youth Gathering
July 26th – 28th, 2024
Post-Elders and Youth Gathering Workshops
Monday, July 29th, 2024
Sunray’s 40th Annual Native American Elders and Youth Gathering featuring Workshops online and onsite.
Healing Trees with Biodynamics: The Alchemy of Ecology
Register to Receive Recordings
Sunray Peace Village welcomes back Dr. Orest Pelechaty to offer a workshop on the Biodynamic approach to eco-shamanic Earth Healing. Join us as we explore the beautiful and practical spiritual science of classical Biodynamics, as gifted to humanity by the mystic visionary Rudolf Steiner.
For new and returning students Dr. O. will review core Biodynamic preparations, and discuss how to support the health of the Green Nations (plants and soils). He will approach this subject from spiritual, mystical, and practical perspectives, while grounding the practice in the material realm.
Healing of the trees and the protection of our orchards and forests is becoming vital for our future.
Now is the time for us to empower ourselves as Earth’s stewards!
Come take advantage of this rare opportunity to learn how you can help yourself and others to engage safely and effectively in healing the Earth at your home, and at the Peace Village and in your favorite places in nature.
$25.00
Thank you for Participating in 2024 Post-Elders and Youth Gathering Workshops!
Healing Trees with Biodynamics: The Alchemy of Ecology
9:00 – 11:00 am EDT
at the Sunray Peace Village and on Zoom
Sunray Peace Village welcomes back Dr. Orest Pelechaty to offer a workshop on the Biodynamic approach to eco-shamanic Earth Healing. Join us as we explore the beautiful and practical spiritual science of classical Biodynamics, as gifted to humanity by the mystic visionary Rudolf Steiner.
For new and returning students Dr. O. will review core Biodynamic preparations, and discuss how to support the health of the Green Nations (plants and soils). He will approach this subject from spiritual, mystical, and practical perspectives, while grounding the practice in the material realm.
Healing of the trees and the protection of our orchards and forests is becoming vital for our future.
Now is the time for us to empower ourselves as Earth’s stewards!
Come take advantage of this rare opportunity to learn how you can help yourself and others to engage safely and effectively in healing the Earth at your home, and at the Peace Village and in your favorite places in nature.
$25.00
Cornbread making with
Sandra Lightheart
11:30 am – 1:00 pm EDT
at the Sunray Peace Village
Sandra Polacheck (Lightheart Woman) is a Reading and English Language Arts Specialist and Master Teacher and Storyteller. She works with at-risk high school students teaching English literacy, Digital Literacy, and Technical Career-based job skills. Sandra is a long time member of the International Literacy Association where she served as a member of the ILA’s Children’s and Young Adult Book Awards Committee – Young Adult Novels (2017-2020). In addition, she has been recognized in “Whos’ Who in America” 2022-2023 and Cambridge’s “Who’s Who in the Globe” 2008-2009 for her work as a distinguished Educator. She is a life-long collector of Creation Stories from around the world. She is also a student who has studied under many tribal Elders over the years including Grandfather Bear Heart (Muskogee-Cree), Grandmother Esther Jackson (Hopi), Grandmother Nanatasis (Abenaki) and has learned Peacekeeper teachings under Venerable Dhyani Ywahoo since 2010. Sandra became an Elder Server in the Arbor in 2009, under the guidance of Fire Keeper Andy Tobey. With a mother who is a retired pastry chef, Sandra grew up baking and became inspired to learn indigenous cooking when studying corn teachings and visiting the Mitsitam Café in Washington, D.C. at NAMI, while writing high school English Language Arts curriculum for the National Digital Library.
Participants in the workshop will learn how to make various types of cornbread using modern indigenous cooking methods. We will work with Hopi blue corn meal, Iroquois white corn meal, and Eastern yellow corn meals to prepare cornbread. While we cook together, Sandra will share a few of the various Corn Mother and Corn Maiden stories that she has collected from different traditions throughout her travels on Turtle Island and beyond. Participants are welcome to join in the cooking and we will meet in the kitchen.
$25.00
The Living Tapestry
2:00 – 4:00 pm EDT
at the Sunray Peace Village and on Zoom
In “The Living Tapestry” workshop, Grandmother Hears Crow will share stories that illustrate the importance of attentive listening and how to apply these lessons in our daily lives. Additionally, she will discuss various methods to connect, reconnect, and deepen our relationship with Earth Mother and all our relations. By incorporating simple daily practices, we can learn to see with spirit eyes and hear with spirit ears.
Grandmother Hears Crow (Nootauau Kaukôntuah) lives and breathes the traditions of the Narragansett people. As a master storyteller, educator, published poet, and workshop leader, she weaves Longhouse Tales, Native American legends, and Transformational Stories.
“Stories are gateways that can link diverse cultures, transform our spirits, and open our hearts to one another,” she says.
A twice-published poet and author of an upcoming Native children’s novel, Hears Crow served as the Vermont State Liaison to the National Storytelling Network and mentored youth storytellers through Artists Standing Strong Together (ASST). She is on the faculty alumni at the Transformation Storytelling School. With over 35 years of storytelling experience, she brings Indigenous oral traditions and other cultural stories to life at libraries, schools, community centers, museums, and Indigenous gatherings.
Formerly the Director of Strategic Sourcing at Deloitte & Touche, she now dedicates herself full-time to storytelling, blending her business expertise with Indigenous traditions to foster communication, engage communities, and educate through stories.
$25.00
Some Workshops are available online. Register to receive Participation Links.
Traditional Basket making with Jennifer Lee
9:00am – 4:00pm EDT* (see below)
In-Person at the Sunray Peace Village, Lincoln, VT
Jennifer Lee has been enjoying making bark baskets for 40 years. Her interest began with the study of her Northeast woodland Native American ancestors. She teaches bark basket classes and educational programs extensively. The bark roots and branches are wild harvested by her family in the Northern Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts. She’s received awards at the Mohegan Wigwam Festival, Sarratoga Native American Festival, Kearsage Indian Museum, Deerfield Craft Show, and North Carolina Basketmakers Association.
A Mokok is a Northeast woodland Native American style container made of bark, stitched with spruce roots. The bottom is rectangular, the top is round or oval. They were originally used to harvest and store food and accoutrements. In this class you’ll learn to sew with spruce roots that you’ll prepare. If the roots are thick enough you’ll split them. An inner and outer rim is made by splitting a red willow stick that is bent gradually. Different stitching patterns will be shown. If you finish in time and so desire you can embellish your basket with a collar and/or appliqué.
The white pine bark baskets are easier to make than ash; they don’t require so much hand strength, They smell delicious, handle like leather when wet and dry like wood. But sometimes the pine bark beetle will find them and start eating them. You can bake them in the oven at 350°F for 1/2 hour to kill the bugs. In 40 years of making them it’s happened maybe 7 times. I have pine bark baskets that I have used for 20 years without a problem.
Bark is to the Northeast woodland Tribes as Bison is to the Tribes of the Great Plains; The Lakota, Cheyanne, Osage etc. There is a season to harvesting bark that varies by species, weather and growing situation. The sustainable harvesting of Bark, Roots and Red Willow will be discussed.
Tools: All tools will be provided, but if you’d like to bring your own, you’ll need :
Scissors, utility knife, nose plyers, four sided awl, bowl for water.
An apron is recommended
$100 – $150
Large Mokok approx. 13” long x 7” high x 6” wide
* 6 hour workshop (9:00am – 4:00pm)
$150
Small Mokok approx 9” long x 4” high x 31/2” wide
* 4 hour workshop (9:00am – 2:00pm)
$100
Registration for this Traditional Basket Making workshop closes on July 22nd, 2024, with no refunds after that date.
All baskets are Ash bark
