{"id":1345,"date":"2021-05-21T05:55:41","date_gmt":"2021-05-21T05:55:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sunray.org\/eldersgathering\/?page_id=1345"},"modified":"2026-05-05T20:53:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T20:53:19","slug":"elders-gathering","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sunray.org\/eldersgathering\/","title":{"rendered":"Elders Gathering"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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42nd Annual Native American Elders and Youth Gathering<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Restorative Abundance<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

July 24th – 26th, 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Join us for the 42nd Annual Elders and Youth Gathering on July 24\u201326, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Participate under the arbor at Sunray Peace Village in Lincoln, Vermont or on Zoom. 

Hosted by Venerable Dhyani Ywahoo<\/strong>,
Pema Sangdzin Khandro, Founder and Spiritual Director of the Sunray Meditation Society, is the 27th-generation lineage holder of the ancestral Ywahoo lineage of the Ani Yun Wi Wa (Cherokee) tradition. She is also Chief of the Green Mountain Band of the Ani Yun Wi Wa peoples, a community composed of her relatives and descendants of the original Ani Yun Wi Wa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are we planting now\u2014and what will it become?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s theme, Restorative Abundance<\/strong>, begins with a simple but essential reflection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as gardens are planted in the spring, we are always planting the next stage of family, community, and human life. In times of transition, what we choose to cultivate matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What skills, practices, and ways of being can we bring forward to nurture relationships that are strong, balanced, and life-giving\u2014for people, for the land, and for all living beings?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Gathering Rooted in Lived Wisdom<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the weekend, elders will bring forward the lived wisdom of their families, clans, and cultures, with a focus on how communities move through dissonance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • How are relationships repaired?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • How is trust restored?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • What makes reconciliation possible?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    This work lives in how we speak with one another, how we listen, how we take responsibility, and how we return to right relationship\u2014with each other and with Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What You\u2019ll Experience<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

    Friday night: <\/strong>A heart-centered concert, featuring Lee Mixashawn Rozie and Grandmother Joani Henry (7:00-9:00pm) at Burnham Hall in Lincoln, VT ($20) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Friday, Saturday and Sunday: The 42nd Elders and Youth Gathering<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    • Daily Wisdom Teachings throughout the weekend <\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Women\u2019s Moon-Time Circles from an Abenaki Perspective<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Art and Music Activities for Children<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • A Powerful Healing Celebration on Saturday Night<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      This year\u2019s speakers include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      • Grandfather Mike Bastine<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Grandmother Tatjana Cady and Tom Cady     <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Dr. Rudy Schild and Jane Struss     <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Reverend Katherine Amtul Hannan  (on zoom)<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • SkyRoad Webb, Coast Miwok leader  (on zoom)<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Grandmother Joani Henry and Firekeeper Jon Delson<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Reverend Co\u2019Relous Bryant <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Zacciah Blackburn and Dorothy Stone <\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Aztec dance group Kalpulli Tletl Papalotzin <\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Monday: <\/strong>After sitting with the elders and honored speakers in the arbor at Sunray, the Monday workshops give participants the opportunity to sit at length (2-3 hours) with a Culture Keeper and explore wisdom teachings in depth. (additional fee) <\/p>\n\n\n