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Thanksgiving's Shadow

As the sun crests the Blue Ridge Mountains and the frost sparkles, fractals of light shimmer and splinter into a myriad of color and intricacy—a bounty of beauty at dawn and a gift for those who rise early. Today I am up with the sun, this writing project before me. Usually I love to write, as I relish in word-smithing, tugging gently upon the golden threads of illumination that countless folks have mused on for centuries; but today I feel the weight of this assignment. It is Thanksgiving week, and I feel the heaviness of this holiday, so sacred to some that I fear to tread honestly and openly on this hallowed ground. For the truth I Iong to speak is not pretty, nor does it fit into the narrative that many have wrapped themselves in—a cozy blanket to keep out the cold, hard truth. It’s a truth which is difficult for many to face, but we must.

2020 has taught us so many things, has shed light on so many issues that we need to consider as a community, a nation, a species. One of my biggest takeaways is that we can no longer be silent to the things we see, to the injustices piling up around us. We can no longer live in our comforts of compromise, wrapped in our cocoons of complacency. And so I will write from my heart, and from my truth. I am sorry, in advance, for hurt feelings and challenged narratives. It is not my intention to divide or to shame, but to enlighten. Only when we stand in truth can we find the pathway forward, together.

We are given sweet images in grade school of pilgrims and natives sitting down together, trading goods and being friends, this holiday the celebration of this rich unity of cultures. However, I am deeply challenged by the truth of Thanksgiving. I have been ever since I learned the origin story of the holiday more than 25 years ago; how could I not be? Do you know how it started? The truth is much different than the grade-school story.

William B. Newell knows the truth. A Penobscot Indian and former chairman of the Anthropology department at the University of Connecticut, he says that "Thanksgiving Day" was first proclaimed by the Governor of the then Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1637 to commemorate the massacre of 700 men, women and children who were celebrating their annual Green Corn Dance.

"Gathered in this place of meeting, they were attacked by mercenaries and English and Dutch. The Indians were ordered from the building and as they came forth were shot down. The rest were burned alive in the building. The very next day, the governor declared a Thanksgiving Day...and for the next 100 years, every Thanksgiving Day ordained by a Governor was in honor of the bloody victory, thanking God that the battle had been won."

The massacre raged on. Vrious accounts of this same story mar our pretty narrative of pilgrims and Natives sitting together, sharing. An estimated 5 million Indigenous People (some historians say that number is much higher) were slaughtered as Europeans invaded this continent and took it, by extreme and excessive force, from its people. Today, the remnants of those tribes are still struggling to exist on occupied land. I personally occupy Cherokee land. Do you know who's home you occupy? If not, please use this map to learn who you need to honor at your table this Thanksgiving. I do not know how to right these wrongs; I do know that for me, acknowledging these truths is the beginning.

And so it is my heart's humble prayer that this Thanksgiving, along with gratitude for the harvest, abundance and family, you will consider these truths, and add them to your family's table. In a year where gatherings are discouraged and the holiday season already has a somber quality, I invite you to go deep into the shadows of our collective stories, to look at what is hard to face, and to begin the long arduous task of healing.  You'll be glad you did, and your Ancestors will thank you. 



What's New With Firefly?
Save the Date: June 26-July 4, 2021!

We are so excited to announce that we have solidified our dates with our beloved friends at Deerfields for our 2021 Gathering, so mark your calendars! We do not know exactly how many folks we will be able to accommodate, but we will be doing all that we can to keep everyone safe, while still being able to share the skills that Firefly is built upon. We collectively need connection to each other and Earth, now more than ever.

Intensives will be Saturday June 26 through Monday June 28. These small-group 3-day classes will delve deeply into particularly challenging skills such as hide-tanning, bow-making, butchering, permaculture design, and more, all while the gathering is being built around them. This is an amazing time to be on the inside of the event and be a part of the seed that grows into the bigger gathering.

Main Gathering will take place from Wednesday June 30 to Sunday July 4, with arrival day on Tuesday June 29. We will begin selling tickets in early spring, when we have a greater understanding of where we stand as a nation with Covid. All folks who have rolled their tickets over from last year will automatically be registered for the main gathering and assured their ticket. More details will come soon, and we thank you for your patience as we navigate these uncharted waters together.


Support Firefly Gathering 2021 for Global Thriving!

2020 has been a difficult year for many, including The Firefly Gathering. The impact of Covid-19 came at a vulnerable time for us, as we were still in process of becoming a nonprofit organization (and therefore not eligible for Covid-19 related PPP funds or disaster relief). Due to the cancellation of our gathering, we now face a deficit of funds to pay our debts, as the bulk of our revenue comes from our annual event. Many of our staff have donated wages and hours to help offset this loss, but Firefly needs community support to make it through these unprecedented times.

The Firefly Gathering is a community organization dedicated to sharing the skills and ideologies that help us to live abundantly and harmoniously with Earth. Firefly has great vision for how we can adapt to these challenging times and support the transition to a new way of living with Earth; in fact, adaptation is our specialty! With the community’s support, Firefly can grow into a year-round community hub that offers classes and support for the emerging new paradigm that's more broadly accessible to a wider range of people and is especially needed during these trying times. We know that folks are especially hungry for the skills and knowledge that Firefly offers— how to sustain themselves and create a thriving community based culture within which we can all coexist. Through the pandemic we have seen how fragile our nation’s systems are; we know that local grassroots organizations will be there to sustain us as the current paradigm crumbles around us. Firefly will be there, standing at the other side, a light in the rubble, calling forward all those who persist.

We are calling on the community to help spread the word and raise funds to help Firefly pivot and grow so we can share skills for living with Earth and co-create a regenerative culture in which current and future generations can grow and thrive.

Please support The Firefly Gathering this holiday season to help ensure many more years of growing together.  In Wildness, we humbly thank you!

Support Here!
FIREFLY WANT-ADS
Hey! Want to Get Involved with Firefly?

Firefly is a robust and diverse community of people collaborating together to find balance, build community and learn how to be good humans upon the planet. There are a number of ways to join in on the Firefly Family Fun! You can apply to be an instructor or worktrader; you can donate and/or plan on buying a ticket to attend the event in June; you can serve on the Board of Directors; or you could be on staff. We are currently looking to fill the following positions:  

Communications and Registration Coordinator: This person will need to be a very computer savvy individual, with experience using Gravity forms, Google docs and WordPress, as well as a good communicator. Primary responsibilities include: being first contact year round for Firefly, maintaining website and forms, registration, communicating with Director about sales, and much more. This position requires about 240 hours of work throughout the year, plus working during the event.

Marketing & Social Media Wizard: This person will be responsible for public outreach, ticket sales, as well as maintaining a solid presence in the community via social media. We are looking for someone who is already deep in the social media realm, who understands our event, and who can help people hungry for skills to find us.

Kitchen Manager: This position is responsible for planning, setting up, organizing, stocking and overseeing the event kitchen. This kitchen is responsible for feeding work-traders, staff and instructors. Applicants need experience cooking for large groups of people in adverse situations. Must be highly organized and work well on your feet! 

If you are interested in working with The Firefly Gathering in any of these capacities, please email us at:

thefireflygathering@gmail.com

Thank you for your interest, and we look forward to hearing from you!

Book-Nook

Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings by Joy Harjo

A musical, magical, resilient volume from the first Native American Poet Laureate of the United States.

This recommendation comes from our friend and Board member, DeLesslin George-Warren, (or Roo, as his friends call him,) a member of the Catawba Nation, an activist and a wonderful human. We have previously highlighted 3 very important books in learning about Indigenous people in the Americas: "Braiding Sweetgrass," "Sacred Instructions," and "An Indigenous People's History of the United States," all must reads.  So now we offer a book of poetry.

In these poems, the joys and struggles of the everyday are played against the grinding politics of being human. Beginning in a hotel room in the dark of a distant city, we travel through history and follow the memory of the Trail of Tears from the bend in the Tallapoosa River to a place near the Arkansas River. Stomp dance songs, blues, and jazz ballads echo throughout. Lost ancestors are recalled. Resilient songs are born, even as they grieve the loss of their country.

Firefly Gathering

PO Box 18758, Asheville, NC 28814
North Carolina 28814 United States

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