Rainbow people
24/06/15 05:35
There certainly is a lot of talk about the Rainbow Family gathering that will take place in the first week of July in the hills about 30 miles from our home. Quite frankly, it hasn’t had any impact of my life so far except for all of the talk. And some of the talk reflects a bit of fear. I’m no expert on the group and explaining them seems to be a bit of a challenge. There are annual gatherings of the Rainbow Family of Living Light that involve thousands of people. Estimates for the gathering in the hills range from 5,000 to 20,000. That is a lot of people, but nothing like the annual motorcycle rally. We are used to having large gatherings in the hills. Although not specifically a music-based gathering, there is something about the event that reminds one of Woodstock - another event that I did not attend.
The group is committed to the principles of non-violence and egalitarianism. There is little or no official structure, though the advance team of a couple of hundred people, the busses and other structures for feeding people, and other parts of the movement do show a certain level of organization, planning and forethought.
There seems to be a combination of 1970’s-style hippie dress and a bit of new age philosophy thrown in.
As a student of theology, I’m a bit critical of “new age” philosophies. For the most part, there is nothing new about new age beliefs. They are beliefs with origins in other religious practices that are appropriated without complete consideration of the history and traditions of the source. Part of the conflict between some tribal members and the rainbow people is the appropriation of Lakota traditions and practices without a full understanding of Lakota values.
Although officially rainbow gatherings discourage the use of alcohol and drugs, except for the use of drugs in official religious ceremonies for religious purposes, the group makes no efforts to enforce restrictions on alcohol and drugs. The gatherings are attempted with a minimum of rules and enforcement mechanisms.
The practice of taking drugs as part of a religious ceremony has been around for a long time, but the use of synthetic drugs is, of course, much newer. Peyote and mushrooms are probably the most ancient of hallucinogens. The basic belief is that one can induce a state of religious euphoria by using a psychotropic drug. It doesn’t make sense from my perspective. The divine is not something that is humanly created or controlled. If religion is a matter of manipulating experience, it becomes an extension of the human, not an encounter with the divine. I suppose there is a long argument that could be held around the topic, but I have no particular interest in engaging in the topic. There are plenty of religious traditions that employ meditation and prayer without the need for chemicals. I stand in one of those traditions.
With concern for the rainbow gathering, the primary issue is that drugs are subject to abuse and risks. Cases of overdose have marred previous gatherings. If such events occur during this gathering, treatment could be a challenge with the nearest hospital 30 or 40 miles away, no cell phone service in the area where the gathering is occurring, and response at best delayed due to travel times for ambulance crews. Any gathering of the size of the rainbow group will likely involve other medical issues in need of treatment as well. It is unlikely that the impact on area hospitals will come close to that of the annual motorcycle rally, which involves a lot more people, but it will likely mean some overtime work for some health care providers.
Although the group has expressed interest in ecology and the care of the land, you don’t get that many people together in a small area without having some impact. Most of the attendees will come from out of state with private vehicles being the primary mode of transportation. That means the need for designated parking areas in a part of the forest where there is normally not that much vehicle travel. A multiple day gathering will produce a significant amount of human waste. In the past the group has dealt with this by creating pit or trench toilets. Even if these are properly filled in afterward, the surface vegetation must be disrupted to create the trench or pit. Other surface vegetation will be trampled in the crush of so many feet. Litter and trash pick up has not been a significant problem in recent gatherings as the group has some structure to pick up after themselves, but those items will need to be disposed of somewhere and probably end up in dumpsters at local businesses.
There is controversy over the need for the Forest Service Incident Management team, a group that is drawn together to provide oversight and coordination of law enforcement, emergency services and other aspects. Incident Management Teams are expensive, and unlike other large gatherings, the rainbow gathering will contribute no money to the government to offset those costs. (For example, the burning man gatherings in Nevada pay the government $750,000 for the costs of the incident management team.)
For my own part, the gathering will have little impact. I have my own religious community to serve and a responsibility to maintain connections with the traditions and faith of our people. I have little interest in trying to convert someone who has other beliefs. I have no interest in going out in the forest to gawk or look at the rainbow people. The arrival of the advance teams has brought an increase in panhandling and begging on the streets of our town, but I’ve encountered panhandlers and beggars in other contexts and doubt if that will be a problem for me.
I don’t understand the motivations of the participants and I don’t find their gathering to be appealing to me, but I don’t see visitors to the hills to be enemies, either. We live in a tourist area. Hospitality is part of our lifestyle. Sharing the beauty of the hills with others is part of living here.
It appears that it is going to be an interesting summer around here.
The group is committed to the principles of non-violence and egalitarianism. There is little or no official structure, though the advance team of a couple of hundred people, the busses and other structures for feeding people, and other parts of the movement do show a certain level of organization, planning and forethought.
There seems to be a combination of 1970’s-style hippie dress and a bit of new age philosophy thrown in.
As a student of theology, I’m a bit critical of “new age” philosophies. For the most part, there is nothing new about new age beliefs. They are beliefs with origins in other religious practices that are appropriated without complete consideration of the history and traditions of the source. Part of the conflict between some tribal members and the rainbow people is the appropriation of Lakota traditions and practices without a full understanding of Lakota values.
Although officially rainbow gatherings discourage the use of alcohol and drugs, except for the use of drugs in official religious ceremonies for religious purposes, the group makes no efforts to enforce restrictions on alcohol and drugs. The gatherings are attempted with a minimum of rules and enforcement mechanisms.
The practice of taking drugs as part of a religious ceremony has been around for a long time, but the use of synthetic drugs is, of course, much newer. Peyote and mushrooms are probably the most ancient of hallucinogens. The basic belief is that one can induce a state of religious euphoria by using a psychotropic drug. It doesn’t make sense from my perspective. The divine is not something that is humanly created or controlled. If religion is a matter of manipulating experience, it becomes an extension of the human, not an encounter with the divine. I suppose there is a long argument that could be held around the topic, but I have no particular interest in engaging in the topic. There are plenty of religious traditions that employ meditation and prayer without the need for chemicals. I stand in one of those traditions.
With concern for the rainbow gathering, the primary issue is that drugs are subject to abuse and risks. Cases of overdose have marred previous gatherings. If such events occur during this gathering, treatment could be a challenge with the nearest hospital 30 or 40 miles away, no cell phone service in the area where the gathering is occurring, and response at best delayed due to travel times for ambulance crews. Any gathering of the size of the rainbow group will likely involve other medical issues in need of treatment as well. It is unlikely that the impact on area hospitals will come close to that of the annual motorcycle rally, which involves a lot more people, but it will likely mean some overtime work for some health care providers.
Although the group has expressed interest in ecology and the care of the land, you don’t get that many people together in a small area without having some impact. Most of the attendees will come from out of state with private vehicles being the primary mode of transportation. That means the need for designated parking areas in a part of the forest where there is normally not that much vehicle travel. A multiple day gathering will produce a significant amount of human waste. In the past the group has dealt with this by creating pit or trench toilets. Even if these are properly filled in afterward, the surface vegetation must be disrupted to create the trench or pit. Other surface vegetation will be trampled in the crush of so many feet. Litter and trash pick up has not been a significant problem in recent gatherings as the group has some structure to pick up after themselves, but those items will need to be disposed of somewhere and probably end up in dumpsters at local businesses.
There is controversy over the need for the Forest Service Incident Management team, a group that is drawn together to provide oversight and coordination of law enforcement, emergency services and other aspects. Incident Management Teams are expensive, and unlike other large gatherings, the rainbow gathering will contribute no money to the government to offset those costs. (For example, the burning man gatherings in Nevada pay the government $750,000 for the costs of the incident management team.)
For my own part, the gathering will have little impact. I have my own religious community to serve and a responsibility to maintain connections with the traditions and faith of our people. I have little interest in trying to convert someone who has other beliefs. I have no interest in going out in the forest to gawk or look at the rainbow people. The arrival of the advance teams has brought an increase in panhandling and begging on the streets of our town, but I’ve encountered panhandlers and beggars in other contexts and doubt if that will be a problem for me.
I don’t understand the motivations of the participants and I don’t find their gathering to be appealing to me, but I don’t see visitors to the hills to be enemies, either. We live in a tourist area. Hospitality is part of our lifestyle. Sharing the beauty of the hills with others is part of living here.
It appears that it is going to be an interesting summer around here.