|  | | | Wilderness Drum > Wilderness Experiences > Gatherings |
| | |  The night became very dark. The rain surrounded the cabin . . . with a whole world of meaning, of secrecy, of silence, of rumor. Think of it: all that speech pouring down, selling nothing, judging nobody, drenching the thick mulch of dead leaves, soaking the trees, filling the gullies and crannies of the wood with water, washing out the places where men have stripped the hillside. What a thing it is to sit absolutely alone, in the forest, at night, cherished by this wonderful, unintelligible, perfectly innocent speech, the most comforting speech in the world. the talk that rain makes by itself all over the ridges, and the talk of the watercourses everywhere in the hollows. Nobody started it, nobody is going to stop it. It will talk as long as it wants, the rain. As long as it talks I am going to listen.
— Thomas Merton If you want to learn new primitive skills, or hone the skills you have, one of the best places is at a gathering or rendezvous, where teachers and enthusiasts, professionals and amateurs, writers and readers all get together to share ideas, demonstrate techniques, and have fun. The costs are usually low, although some of the locations may be hard to get to. Many gatherings take place cyclically – on the third week of June, for example – so the specific dates change from year to year. Many of these gatherings now have Web sites, which are worth checking out for the latest information. Some of these gatherings, too, such as Rabbitstick and Winter Count, have become venerable institutions, while others may occur less reliably. I have tried to include every primitive skills gathering I could find, and I would be grateful for any additional information. |
| | |  January |
 February
| Great Lakes Primitives Winter Gathering
HELD AT Bois Blanc Island, Michigan
CONTACT Jim Gilligan
Michigan Atlatl Association
7273 Hamburg Road
Brighton, MI 48116
810-231-2314 | Wintercount
HELD AT Maricopa, AZ
CONTACT Dave Wescott
BackTracks, LLC
P.O. Box 905
Rexburg, ID 83440
208-359-2400 |
March
| Glass Buttes Knap-In
CONTACT Jim Riggs
P.O. Box 627
Wallowa, OR 97885 |
April
| Riverfest
HELD AT Columbus, Georgia
706-576-4760 |
May
| Native Shores Wild Food Rendezvous
HELD AT Lincoln City, Oregon
CONTACT John Kallas
4125 N Colonial Avenue
Portland, OR 97217-3338
503-775-3828 | Platte River Primitive Skills Day
CONTACT Michael Foltmer
1330 Brantner Road
Greeley, CO 80634
970-339-5608 | Rivercane Rendezvous
HELD AT Helena, Georgia
CONTACT Steven “Snow Bear” Taylor
Route 5, Box 396
901 S. Carter Cove Road
Hayesville, NC 28904
828-389-9336 |
June
| The Gathering
HELD AT Boulder, Colorado
CONTACT Robin Blankenship
Earth Knack
PO Box 508
Crestone, CO 81131
719-256-4909 | Ginger Root Wild Food Rendezvous
HELD AT Hood River, Oregon
CONTACT John Kallas
4125 N Colonial Avenue
Portland, OR 97217-3338
503-775-3828 | Echoes in Time
HELD AT Silverton, Oregon
CONTACT Dale “Blond Bear” Coleman
19027 Abiqua Rd NE
Scotts Mills, OR 97375
503-362-4244 | Mid-Atlantic Primitive Skills Group
HELD AT Stanardsville, Virginia
CONTACT Kevin Haney
301-271-5023. | Wild Women’s Gathering
HELD AT Reserve, New Mexico
CONTACT Loba
Sweet Medicine Women’s Center
P.O. Box 820
Reserve, NM 87830 |
July
| Rain's End Primitive Skills Gathering
HELD AT Hood River, Oregon
CONTACT Orion, Tyco, & Cisco
3226 Dee Highway
Hood River, OR 97031
541-354-1790 | Firemaker Primitive Skills Gathering
HELD AT Victoria, British Columbia
CONTACT Wes “Windwalker” Giertz
663 Caleb Pike Road
Victoria, BC V9E 1G9
250-478-3110 | Moccasin Meet
HELD AT Sloansville, New York
CONTACT Walter & Eva Gigandet
PO Box 40, Route 20
Sloansville, NY 12160 | Earth Circle Annual Primitive Skills Gathering
CONTACT Chris Morasky, Nils Behn
Earth Circle School of Ancient Living
P.O. Box 742
Grangeville, ID 83530 |
August
| Peoples of the North Primitive Skills Gathering
HELD AT Canaan, Maine
CONTACT Tim Smith
Earthways School
RR 2 Box 2700
Canaan, Maine 04924
207-426-8138 | Bois Blanc Island Rendezvous
HELD AT Bois Blanc Island, Michigan
CONTACT Jim Gilligan
Michigan Atlatl Association
7273 Hamburg Road
Brighton, MI 48116
810-231-2314 | Silverwater Rendezvous
HELD AT Todd, North Carolina
CONTACT Hawk & Ayal Hurst
2511 Bald Fork Road
Todd, NC 28684
336-385-1401 | Harvest Song
HELD AT Spring Mount, Pennsylvania
CONTACT John Canan
PO Box 286
Spring Mount, PA 19478
610-287-5710 |
September
| Rabbitstick Rendezvous
HELD AT Rexburg, Idaho
CONTACT Dave & Paula Wescott
Backtracks, LLC
P.O. Box 905
Rexburg, ID 83440
208-359-2400 | Bois D’Arc Rendezvous & Knap-In
HELD AT Goodman, Missouri
CONTACT Bo Brown
3425 N. FR 209
Strafford, MO 65757
417-862-5770 | Harvest Festival
HELD AT Cherry Valley, New York
CONTACT Jeff Eckhouse
Earth Mentoring Institute
P.O. Box 506
Cherry Valley, NY 13320
607-264-3396 | Ozark Gathering
HELD AT Branson, Misouri
CONTACT Derek McLean
417-335-6725 |
October
| International Tracking Symposium
HELD AT Hotchkiss, Colorado
CONTACT Dan Rain
PO Box 5000
Duvall, WA 98019 | Harvest Hope Festival
HELD AT Cherry Valley, New York
CONTACT Ricardo Sierra
PO Box 506
Cherry Valley, NY 13320
607-264-3396 | Falling Leaves Rendezvous
HELD AT Helena, Georgia
CONTACT Steven “Snow Bear” Taylor
901 S. Carter Cove Road
Hayesville, NC 28904
828-389-9336 |
November
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December
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