Fire Tribe Gathering — Building the Village

	Fire Tribe Hawaii

Winter Solstice Fire Tribe Gathering
Leeward Oahu, Hawaii
December 16-20, 2008
Early Village Builders, December 15

Building the Fire Circle

Building the Village

Fire Tribe Gatherings are deeply participatory, as they are co-created from the commitments and contributions of service each of us makes. It takes the collaborative efforts of the whole community to accomplish the core tasks of assembling sacred and functional spaces, and then returning the site to its original state before we depart. It's up to all of us to build and dismantle the fire circle. We will work together to put up and take down structures. The entire community will use and clean the common areas.

When you register, you'll be asked to indicate how you wish to contribute. Every participant is expected to select a Core Task to help out with. Additionally, there are ways you can enhance our Gathering by providing material or creative support. (See below for a detailed description of some of these).

Soon after you register, a coordinator will contact to answer any questions you might have. When you arrive, you'll receive more detailed information on your role and how to connect with your team. The sooner you register, the more choices you'll have. The job is small if it's shared by all.

Please note that Village Builders are especially needed who can arrive one day early, on the morning of Monday, December 15. Please let us know if you'd like to commit to arriving early to help out by emailing us at .

Core Tasks

These are simply the things we must do in order to have a festival. They are so central to the Gathering, that everyone is needed to help out with them. You'll be asked to select one of the following Core Tasks when you register for the Gathering.

Cleanup: To be fair to all, you're expected to participate in cleanup. It is essential that everyone contributes to cleaning up before departing. In addition to cleaning and packing one's own lodging or camping area, every participant is expected to assist with cleaning the common areas such as the bathrooms, showers, and the dining hall. Anticipate devoting at least one hour on the last day to making your community cleanup contribution. We intend to leave the site in better condition than we found it.

Cleanup Team Leaders: Organize the departure day clean-up teams. Much gratitude and aloha will flow to those who take on this role.

Dining Hall Cleanup: Facilitate the diners in filling and emptying wash tubs, wiping tables, emptying trash, sweeping the floor, and carrying leftovers into the kitchen. All diners are expected to help with these tasks.

Bathroom Cleanup: Bathrooms and showers need some attention every day, and a thorough cleaning on the last day.

Greeting and Check-In: Help direct people to camping sites, lodging and parking, distribute car ID signs and festival necklaces, answer questions, and greet new arrivals.

Fire Circle Building and Maintenance: Assist with such tasks as designing and setting up the circle and portal gate. This includes preparing the ground, placing torches and perimeter ropes, and marking the surface. Maintenance is needed each day and the circle must be dismantled and packed up on Sunday morning. The fire circle is the central focus of the Gathering and will require many helpers. If you're not strongly drawn to anything else, please sign up for this.

Fire Tenders: Help to cut, prepare and gather wood, build the fire pit, fill torches, and tend the fire each night, monitor fire safety, ash removal and cleanup.

Site-Coordination Assistants: The Site Coordinator will need one or two people each day for about an hour for all sorts of odd jobs.

Food and Water Altar: Help to set up, organize food offerings, fill water jugs, tidy up throughout the night, empty trash, and clear away food after sunrise.

Possible Adventures

Once the basics are covered, there are many ways to enhance our Gathering. The purpose of the list below is to help people with like interests to connect before the Gathering AND to inspire your imagination. It describes just some of the possibilities that could emerge as part of our village. For any of these, you can take the lead as the Space Holder or just help out. All you need to do to make it happen, is make it happen!

You'll get an opportunity to let us know which of these you're interested in when you register for the Gathering.

First Aid Station: Assist in setting up a First Aid station and, if certified, be available to provide basic first aid as needed.

Altar, Shrine and Ritual Space Creation: Design, maintain, pack and clean up a special area such as an Offerings Shrine, Temple of Light, Ancestor Altar, Elemental Altars, etc.

Wellness Nest: Set up, stock, tidy, pack, and/or clean up the area for exchanging massage, energy work, and other wholistic practices.

Bodyworkers and Holistic Practitioners: Provide massage, aromatherapy, Reiki, or anything else that will soothe, revive, rehabilitate, and refresh others.

Facilitate Yoga, Movement, or Meditation Sessions: You don't even have to be an expert!

Offer a Playshop: Past playshops have included costuming, body and face painting, mask making, drum making, dancing, chanting, and making music.

Adornment and Wrapping: Learn or teach the art and techniques of creating wrap and tuck garments to pass along to others.

Welcoming Portal: Create and maintain a sacred space where you and others may meet and greet people as they arrive.

Child Monitoring: Assist parents with monitoring children's activities. This can include lifeguarding, facilitating art projects, leading a treasure hunt, or just hanging out.

Prayer Flags: Create, stock, maintain, pack up and/or clean up an area where people can make prayer flags.

Rituals and Processions, Magic and Mystery, Street Theatre, Collaborative Art, and Performances: We just wanted to remind you why we're doing all the other stuff. Everyone is invited to participate in one way or another. Details will be invented and shared by all at the Gathering.

Material Support

You are invited to bring materials to support the Gathering. Below is just a partial list of items you can bring to enhance the festival experience for everyone.

Fire wood
Fire control equipment (extinguishers, fire blankets, etc.)
Sage for smudging
Communal shelter (tents, tarps, canopies, etc.)
Supplies for making prayer flags
Rattles and shakers to share
Items to adorn the village or enhance shrines and altars
A hammock to share (when you're not using it yourself!)

Festival Necklaces

If you are an artist interested in creating the unique necklace pendant which serves as the "ticket stub" for the next Gathering, please click here for more information.

Other Installations and Creative Projects!

Click here for a partial list of some of the creative contributions that have manifested at previous Gatherings. If you have a creative project or installation you want to bring to the festival that you'd like help with, you have at least three options:

You can simply assemble a team yourself, through whatever means you wish. Ask your friends to help, or make new friends at the Gathering and ask for their support.
You can put your ideas out to the Fire Tribe Discussion eGroup to ask for help.
You can also tell our coordinators what you'd like to do and present a labor "budget" so that they can help you find volunteers. Please contact us at firetribeinfo@yahoo.com for more information.

Fire Tribe Hawaii