Rainbow Gatherings

melancholy harlot · Post by **melancholy harlot** » Mon May 19, 2008 8:12 pm

Just learned about the Rainbow Gatherings not long ago and I was wondering if any burners had experiences at these events. I'm massively curious--though with their yearly gathering being just about a month before the burn, I probably don't have the option of going. (Wouldn't that be world though?!) I've heard vastly differing tales of this community--just as people hear vastly different reports about our community. I'd love to hear more if anyone has anything to share!

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Mon May 19, 2008 8:14 pm

burners dont let other burners do rainbow.

thirt33n · Post by **thirt33n** » Mon May 19, 2008 8:35 pm

gimmie your keys harlot.

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Mon May 19, 2008 8:51 pm

it's worse than rocky horror.....

worse than Sting....

worse even than Michael Landon in Little house on the Prairie....

it is THAT bad......i went to nationals once........never ever ever again...

it solidified my opinion of dirty useless hippies like water and portland cement.

talk about stupid....within days they had fucked up their own water supply, gastrointestinitus was running rampant (it's the SHITS! man...) and 4 yr olds were running around unsupervised, while their parent were worshipping the fungus gods for the fourth time in as many hours.

i kid you not.....and then, and THEN....these hypocritical bastards have the fucking GALL to tellk me it's not an alcohol friendly event because i'm walking around in a crisp seer-sucker suit with white bucks and a panama hat, no socks, duh, and a bottle of scotch...

i told the offenders to fuck off before i shot them.....they told me i was harshing their buzz and to go back to the suburb from which i came from.

well.....i live in the inner city, to start, but right before i shove the tail-pipe off of this trustafarians saab and stick it up his snot nosed nose, i step back, summon all the reserve calm serenity i have and reply....

"you people are so fucking passe, dreads were out 2 summers ago....get with the program......buy a fucking hair dryer you look like milli fucking vanilli....."

and left it at that....

i know, i'm VICIOUS when i'm angry.

thirt33n · Post by **thirt33n** » Mon May 19, 2008 9:00 pm

Simon, is that a big fukkin peace sign in your inner city?
no, wait! it's the Man!!

motskyroonmatick · Post by **motskyroonmatick** » Mon May 19, 2008 9:05 pm

One was held in central Oregon while I lived there. The only accounts I heard of it were from the local papers/radio and apparently most of the information came from law enforcement. These are my memories and as such may or may not be fact. I think at the time the organization was not participating in any conversation with "authorities." A unnamed figure paid the camping fee for the group and the organization rejected it due to the right to assemble and that public lands are "public lands." It was a massive gathering with sanitary facilities constructed on site which means a straddle trench. There were serious personal and group safety issues with forest roads as the only access to the site. Medical evacuation was nearly impossible. At this point I did an internet search and here you go. I think it is actually shorter than the BLM permit for the burn.
http://www.strecorsoc.org/rainbow/oregon12.html

I think it is in Oregon again this year. You know who to call if you get in trouble

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Mon May 19, 2008 10:36 pm

I went last year inspired by someone making fun of them on here.
There's no way to tell where I'll turn up next.

I think this year will be in wyoming.
The final announcement isn't made until early or mid June.

http://www.welcomehome.org/rainbow/

Post by **AntiM** » Mon May 19, 2008 11:54 pm

One year they held them in Utah, in the high Uintahs. The access was through Wyoming, which is even more rigidly conservative than Utah, outside the alcohol laws. It snowed on them in July, plenty were in Evanston trying to get to somewhere warm.

We gave three a ride down to Salt Lake to meet up with their friends. Walking through our neighborhood, we could tell they were lost. They carried packs with minimal bed rolls, tried to sell us ratty hemp necklaces, had no food, no water and no cash on them. No water? You are going into the mountains without water? I wouldn't do that on a day hike! They asked about Burning Man, and how hard was it to sneak in?

I was not impressed. They were nice enough kids, but had no grasp on harsh reality.

lonestoner916 · Post by **lonestoner916** » Tue May 20, 2008 12:18 am

From: http://www.democraticunderground.com/di ... 64x1533362

"The 'Rainbow' Gatherings have borne a legacy of spiritual & cultural pilgrimage to the National Forests since 1972, the purest exercise of open consensual assembly in our time. The annual 'Gathering of the Tribes' draws thousands over the first week of July, focusing on the 4th as a holy day of prayer for peace and freedom. In recent years small regional events in this mode have emerged, and such gatherings have taken place in many nations around the world."

I haven't been to a national gathering since I was a kid, but I know many people who go every year. Like Burning Man, the event is run by volunteers, but the event's infrastructure isn't nearly as well organized, possibly because the Rainbow Family has no real hierarchy, there's no one person or couple of people in charge, only the tribal council, which changes often and which (almost) anyone can join. Technically, it's an illegal event because it's always held on national forest land without a permit. No porta-potties, just latrine trenches and if you're lucky a few bags of lime!

The so-called "dirty hippies" get bashed alot, but the fact is they represent an integral and important part of today's counterculture.

Rainbow Gathering 2007

USA

Bosnia

Thailand

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Tue May 20, 2008 4:21 am

In spite of the search engine, I found some things I said about it.
http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic. ... ing#371867

http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic. ... ing#326213

Some of those people work incredibly hard the whole time they are there.
Some of them have a lot of contempt for the people that show up unprepared and don't do anything.
The guy I was riding back with had some other people ask him for a ride on the way out.
When he found they weren't willing to even try to beg for some gas money on the way, he told them to fuck off, because they wouldn't make any effort at all.
He was on a shoestring himself and moving across the country.
He had had a very hard childhood and I think he had found an actual family in the rainbow groups, but they are hardly monolithic.

I found it all rather quiet after burning man, in terms of activity.
Beer around the fire, but heavy drinking is mostle encouraged in a specific ghetto.
And they really drink hard there.

I was in bus camp with many of the hardcore folks that show up early and work weeks afterward.
A lot of political and policy discussions all the time.
Some very nice folks.

They weren't able to get the best site last year.
I never knew arkansas had a fucking rain forest.
I'm just glad burning man is never that hot.

There were lightning bugs like nothing I've ever seen before.
Incredible.
And there was a drum circle that was truly amazing.
At least a few were expert.
I heard some indonesian rythyms and so on in there.

They really envy burners being able to drive into camp, an unheard of luxury there except for some in buses.

There was an aerial troupe near me too.
Full time travelling performers.

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Tue May 20, 2008 8:40 am

i keep a No-Drum Circle Circle around me at all times.

it's called a taser.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Tue May 20, 2008 8:48 am

I have to agree about most drum circles.
It's really amazing to hear it done well.
The african style drummers can produce melody with the complex rythyms.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Tue May 20, 2008 10:11 am

We don't fucking hold hands here, hippy. We burn shit.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Tue May 20, 2008 10:23 am

I know there is no one here that has not at some time wanted to set fire to some great public building.

ragabashpup · Post by **ragabashpup** » Tue May 20, 2008 10:29 am

So are the rainbow gatherings the ones where they initaite their shamans by giving them high doses of acid that they sometimes never recover from?

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Tue May 20, 2008 12:08 pm

ragabashpup wrote:So are the rainbow gatherings the ones where they initaite their shamans by giving them high doses of acid that they sometimes never recover from?

um, actually, THATS burning man...

ragabashpup · Post by **ragabashpup** » Tue May 20, 2008 1:17 pm

Nah I heard It was the little cult that was an offshoot of the Jerry Garcia following.

Burningman people willingly dose themselves with too much acid

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Tue May 20, 2008 1:22 pm

ragabashpup wrote:Nah I heard It was the little cult that was an offshoot of the Jerry Garcia following.

let me guess......they sit around all day eating chili-dogs and smoking crack.

ragabashpup · Post by **ragabashpup** » Tue May 20, 2008 1:34 pm

Sounds about right

I can't remember the full details of what I heard. It has been 6 maybe 7 years since someone mentioned it.

We had met this kid who had no memories and was really twitchy. Someone informed us that he had been initiated as a Shaman in this cult of Garcia followers. I could have sworn rainbow was in the name. In his initiation they strip him down very attractive women drip liquid lsd on you and then you trip balls to release your "visions"...could have just been a really screwed up story i am not remembering correctly since I wasnt sober when someone was telling it to me. Oh well. Too many memories not enough braincells.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Tue May 20, 2008 1:49 pm

That sounds like pure urban legend to me.

ragabashpup · Post by **ragabashpup** » Tue May 20, 2008 1:52 pm

It could be I wouldn't be suprised if the guy was bullshitting me. I was a kid.

I do know that the kid had done way to much acid though. He was gone. I felt really bad for him. No concept of reality horrible communication skills fear of people. Really really sad.

Sorry to have diverted this thread everyone. Stay tuned for your regularly scheduled information.

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Tue May 20, 2008 2:02 pm

In his initiation they strip him down very attractive women drip liquid lsd on you and then you trip balls to release your "visions"

are these visions white and sticky by chance?

RingO'Fire · Post by **RingO'Fire** » Tue May 20, 2008 2:03 pm

I've been to the following Rainbow Gatherings:

1984 Northern California
1987 North Carolina
1989 Nothern Nevada
1991 Western Colorado
1993 Alabama (O.M.G! Yes, in fucking Alabama!)
1994 Kentucky

I had a great time, for the most part. Yes, there are a lot of stoned, stupid, irresponsible people (some of whom are parents). There are also a lot of kind, open friendly people. There are plenty of both; I always tried to meet & hang out with the friendly, cool folks.

The Rainbow Gathering was the original "Leave No Trace" event. The Rainbow Gathering was also the first place where you were greeted with a hearty "Welcome Home!" upon your arrival.

There is definately a spirit of community similar to Burning Man in some respects. Since the event is free, there are way more poor folks, gutter punks, road hippies, etc. Burning Man to me is kind of like a Rainbow Gathering for yuppies.

There are community "kitchens" set up all over the event. If you can, it's always good to contribute something to one of the kitchens (veggies, rice, potatoes, fruit, etc.) However, I'd observe the santitation practices FIRST at any kitchen I was considering eating at. To play it safe, I'd bring my own food and water, or bring a water filtration system too. As Simon said, some of these stoopid hippies will shit too close to the water supply or just drink Giardia-contaminated water straight out of a surface water stream. The result? "Gastric distress", to put it mildly.

Like lonestoner said in his quote, the "shitters" are latrine trenches dug into the ground. It's a great opportunity for "bonding", taking a shit in the presence of 2-3 other people who are likewise shitting at the same time. This was a little distressing at first, but after a while, eh, who cares?

I've met some really kind people while helping to make meals, cleanup, gather firewood, pitch camp, etc. All in all, my experiences at Rainbow Gatherings have been overwhelmingly positive.

For more info, Google "welcome home" and/or "twelve tribes", that should put you on the right track to find out where "the national" gathering is going to be. Good luck!

Hell, now that I think about it, I may go back this year.

We'll see....

Simon of the Playa · Post by **Simon of the Playa** » Tue May 20, 2008 2:19 pm

There are also a lot of kind, open friendly people. There are plenty of both

yes.....you are right.....my apologies to them, i am somewhat of a carmudgeon sometimes....

i did meet alot of interesting people i might not have, for that i will admit, it is a positive thing i did go, however, i hesitate to return simply so that i dont have such disdain for their particular form of anarchy....

i myself like the dusty, fire filled, yet extroadinarily well run and logistical masterpiece that is our home, The B to the R to the C....

whereas, rainbow is like a hippy detroit, that moves.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Tue May 20, 2008 7:05 pm

ragabashpup wrote: I do know that the kid had done way to much acid though. He was gone. I felt really bad for him. No concept of reality horrible communication skills fear of people. Really really sad.

Acid casualties creep me out.

melancholy harlot · Post by **melancholy harlot** » Tue May 20, 2008 7:12 pm

That was worth a half dozen smiles after a shitty day at work. Burners certainly have ways with words! Thanks!

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Wed May 21, 2008 1:02 pm

That sounds like pure urban legend to me.

What is not urban legend is the lynching posse' mentality that happens when someone is caught 'breaking the covenant' or whatever the fuck they call it (stealing of personal property, drugs, etc. or sexual assault.)

Rather than call LEO they take it on themselves to punish the individuals themselves. That at times has been tying people to trees and intentionally dosing them, tying people to trees and leaving them, knifing tires, smashing windows out of buses, vans or other vehicles.

You know, all that non-violent stuff.

ragabashpup · Post by **ragabashpup** » Wed May 21, 2008 4:35 pm

Badger wrote:
That sounds like pure urban legend to me.
What is not urban legend is the lynching posse' mentality that happens when someone is caught 'breaking the covenant' or whatever the fuck they call it (stealing of personal property, drugs, etc. or sexual assault.)

Rather than call LEO they take it on themselves to punish the individuals themselves. That at times has been tying people to trees and intentionally dosing them, tying people to trees and leaving them, knifing tires, smashing windows out of buses, vans or other vehicles.

You know, all that non-violent stuff.

Wow that seems pretty extreme. I know that a crime is being commited but honestly how can other people running around high think that they can be a proper judge, jury, and exocutioner.

Oh wait probably because they are high.

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Wed May 21, 2008 11:24 pm

how can other people running around high think that they can be a proper judge, jury, and exocutioner.

By assuming that they are in fact outside the boundaries of a functioning society I suppose.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Thu May 22, 2008 1:40 am

Functioning society?
Not in my dealings with law enforcement.

I do know of a widely covered incident where the rainbow people caught a long time sex offender molesting a child, held him, gathered evidence and ensured people were available for trial testimony.
I think it was in virginia.
The sheriff has praised them profusely and made it clear they are always welcome in that county.

I find it difficult to picture anyone wasting drugs on a thief.
I think they might consider that a reward.

Is this possibly part of the misinformation campaign the park service continues to participate in?
Last year, the park service made agreements to settle things.
All agreements were broken by the park service.
I witnessed that.

Rainbow Gatherings

Rainbow Gatherings

Goddamn Dirty Hippies!