feral [a. existing in a wild or untamed state. b. having escaped from domestication and returned, partly or wholly, to a wild state]
futures [a. all that is to be. b. the indefinite and infinite times yet to come]
Calling All Wild Earthlings!
'Feral Futures' is a free, informal, and loosely structured rewilding, anarcho-primitivist, anti-civ/post-civ gathering taking place in Southwest Colorado from the New Moon at the end of May (around the 24th) to the Full Moon at the beginning of June (around the 6th or 7th). Dates are approximate. Folks are free to come and go as they please. The site is at a sacred hot springs along a wild river in National Forest bordered by Wilderness Area.
'Feral Futures' is not a gathering of anti-civ/primitivist purists. We believe in Red, Black, and Green solidarity and unity, and in that spirit of revolt, we would like to provide space at 'Feral Futures,' closer to the parking, for a direct action camp encompassing things that are not necessarily within the traditional framework of "primitivism" and/or "rewilding," but can nonetheless be utilized in an anti-civ praxis.
We are seeking folks who would like to facilitate workshops and skills shares in rewilding, survival skills, and earth skills, as well as folks who can facilitate direct action trainings, civil disobedience workshops, know your rights trainings, anti-oppression trainings, etc. We are also seeking medics, healers, storytellers, wisdom keepers, and anyone else who has something to offer.
Because Feral Futures is a free and informal gathering of equals, rather than a for-profit event with an entrance fee and "experts" who provide one-way transmission of knowledge, what "we" have to offer is much more about what you are able to provide and offer. We cannot do this without you.
We are extremely excited to announce that the Earth First! Roadshow will be joining us! (Dates and schedule of workshops forthcoming...) More on the EF! Roadshow at http://earthfirstroadshow.wordpress.com/
We invite all indigenous activists and elders to join us at Feral Futures to provide guidance in cultural sensitivity and appropriate means of solidarity with indigenous struggles without co-optation or the imposition of unwanted external struggles. We recognize that our minds and spirits have been colonized and mined, and that the struggle to free ourselves is not an easy one. We seek guidance and friends who are also on the path of decolonization.
We envision various villages/camps at Feral Futures, including (but certainly not limited to) at least one communal kitchen, a reading library & lounge, a direct action camp, a first aid/medic/healer’s village, and a sacred space at the hot springs themselves.
If you are interested, and for site directions, contact feralfutures@riseup.net
Directions will only be released openly online a few days before the gathering begins, and will be posted here and on Colorado Indymedia, so stay tuned! http://colorado.indymedia.org/node/1583
Please also post ride share listings to craigslist.org to help others get to the gathering!
See you in the woods!
http://www.myspace.com/feralfutures
http://feralfutures.blogspot.com
Workshops will include:
• wild food identification, sustainable harvesting, and preparation workshops courtesy of Durango’s own Turtle tribe: http://www.turtlelakerefuge.org/
• tree climbing: how to safely ascend a rope and mid-line rappel down, traversing or ziplining if we can set it up.
• tree life: advanced skills such as how to weave dreamcatchers, anchor ropes, double-line rappel, tree tarpology and tie in trees, getting in with a p-cord shot or maybe a bow and then tying traverses. this one would take place in the canopy so we'd need several harnesses.
• ground missions: how to be stealthy in the woods, know human, animal and vehicle tracks, practice blocking roads, concealment etc.
(It would be awesome if people could bring harnesses or other climbing gear. If anyone is into tree climbing already, you can check out the climbing guides at http://efclimbers.net for details on how we climb and the gear that's needed.)
• primitive skills
• decolonizing/rewilding work
• self-defense
• group process skills
• consensus process
• conflict resolution, de-escalation, and processes of accountability
• "magical activism"
* whatever you are willing and able to provide!
What to bring (suggestions):
Personal items:
• tent
• sleeping bag
• hammocks
• food & water
• water filter (suggested)
• toilet paper
• adequate clothing for hot days, cold nights, rain, etc.
• your own bowl, cup, utensils, etc.
• flashlight/headlamp & extra batteries
• sunscreen and bug repellent if you use it
• swimsuit & towel (there are swimming holes & hot springs! who wants to skinny dip?)
• fishing gear & license (world-class fly fishing!)
• musical instruments
• your knowledge, wisdom, and skills
• your friends!
Communal items (to share or donate):
• tools (like shovels for digging shitters and hatchets/axes/saws for cutting up fire wood)
• food and water (a communal kitchen will form)
• kitchen gear (large pots, pans, water containers, etc.)
• tarps and rope
• hammocks, hacky-sacks, frisbees, etc.
• climbing gear (harnesses, ropes, etc.) for tree climbing/sitting trainings
• First Aid gear!
• climbing gear for tree climbing workshops (harnesses, ropes, etc.)
• random primitive skills supplies (you know better than we do!)
• radical environmental, primitive, and rewilding literature
• local plant and animal identification guides, etc.
• local topographical maps
• your knowledge, wisdom, and skills
• your friends!
Things NOT to bring:
• firearms and other weapons (there's a difference between a TOOL and a WEAPON)
• parasitic or predatory human beings
• a bad attitude (including racism, sexism, classism, heteronormativity, homophobia, speciesism, ageism, ableism, etc.)
• the pigs and/or feddies
• a wire (we will be holding mandatory naked security culture workshops in the hot springs. No just kidding, only with your consent!)
Weekly supply runs will take place on Sunday mornings in conjunction with Durango Food Not Bombs. Surplus donated supplies from Durango FNB will be sent to the Feral Futures communal kitchen. Monetary donations for supplies will be collected at the Feral Futures communal kitchen. The Dirty Hands Collective will be providing Durango logistics and minimal services including laundry (bring your own soap!) and wireless internet access (also on Sundays in conjunction with FNB & supply runs for Feral Futures).
Camp guidelines (in progress):
We seek to create safe(r) space for all, including families and children, the sober, and those who identify as GLBTQ.
Due to natural circumstances and the lay of the land (rocky trails on steep hills, etc.), ableism and "disability" may hinder access for some to the inner reaches of the gathering, including the hot springs. This is a reality of the natural world that is beyond our ability or desire to alter or control.
We expect everyone to observe good security culture. If you are unfamiliar with security culture, please read http://aia.mahost.org/sec_basics.html
We ask that people establish communal fires in the various neighborhoods within the gathering and refrain from making personal fires. Communal latrines will also be constructed in the various villages and we ask that people refrain from digging personal cat holes. This will minimize our overall impact on the land.
Drugs and alcohol are discouraged, but a rowdy zone will be established at the parking area, where we request the partying be restricted. All other space, including celebratory and ceremonial space, should be considered sober space. Your personal space is, of course, your personal space, and you may do what you wish within it. Please respect others. Unlike many similar gatherings, a space IS being designated for partying. This is more than you will find at most gatherings of this sort. So let's have some fun!
Dogs increase our impact on the land and local wildlife, and are thus discouraged, though we understand and accept the fact many human beings and their canine companions are inseparable, and they will undoubtedly remain a part of our rewilded and feral futures upon this planet. We request that if you bring your dog, you keep it on a leash. If your dog attacks wildlife, other dogs, or human beings, you will be asked to leave the gathering. Please bury your dog shit!
When it comes to physical intimacy and sexual contact, ASK FIRST! No Compromise In Defense of Consent!
Violence, physical assault, emotional assault, and/or sexual assault will NOT be tolerated under any circumstances and anyone who engages in such assault will be asked to leave, and if necessary, removed physically.
In attempting to manifest the world we desire, we will pursue non-coercive means of conflict resolution and non-coercive processes of accountability. Decisions affecting the group will be made horizontally through the utilization of consensus process.
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“In all my travels, the only time I ever slept deeply was when I was with wolves… The days with my wolf family multiplied. I have no idea how many months I spent with them but I wanted it to last forever - it was far better than returning to the world of my own kind. Today, though most memories of my long journey are etched in tones of grey, the time spent with the wolves… is drenched in colour. Those were the most beautiful days I had ever experienced.”
Quote from Misha Defonseca, a Jewish orphan who, from the ages of seven to 11, wandered through occupied Europe in World War II, living on wild berries, raw meat and food stolen from farmhouses, and occasionally teaming up with wolves.
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