Rainbow Culture
This page is one of a three-part series. The introduction to the rainbow gathering page contains narrative about my experience at gatherings I have attended around the world. The rainbow songs page contains lyrics and streaming audio of rainbow gathering songs.
This page aims to provide a primer on rainbow culture. I should say at the outset that I consider myself a bit of an outsider to that culture. (In a sense, the very act of documenting a culture places you a little bit on the outside.) On the other hand, there is not one rainbow archetype, so I am not sure what a true insider would look like!
Brothers, Sisters and Rainbow Lingo
At rainbow, everyone is either a "brother" or a "sister"—though I have met some in the undecided category. To say "brother" or "sister" is the normal form of address to someone you don't know.As any tribe, the rainbow has its lingo. Rainbow lingo can be used with gusto—as a fun language, as a playful way to describe the strange rainbow reality. Occasionally it's used with less gusto, as a way to exclude those outside the culture because "they don't speak rainbow".
Babylon
At gatherings, you can hear people make speeches about how "we must reach out to Babylon", and you can hear just as many rant about Babylon. "Babylon" is a codeword for the dominant culture, and sometimes for the local big smoke (for instance, Sydney).Organized anarchy
In theory, rainbow gatherings have no official organizers or leaders. No one is in charge. Some might describe gatherings as anarchistic communes. And others would resist that kind of labeling.At gatherings, things mainly happen for one of three reasons:
- because someone or a group of people spontaneously decided to "put some energy into it",
- because of a focalizer (see below), or
- because of a decision made at a talking circle (see below).
Focalizers
A focalizer is someone who takes on the job of focusing a group's energy on a certain task. For instance, you can focalize a kitchen, a chai tent, or the building of an oven. In theory, focalizers do not direct others; they just help the process along and make sure that rainbow procedure is followed when decisions must be made. In a sense they are managers without decision-making power.Talking circles
The talking circle is a beautiful tool. At rainbow gatherings, "talking circles" are the traditional way that many decisions are made and information is passed along. Groups of people (from a handful to over a hundred) sit around in a circle. Typically, a focalizer calls the meeting (circle) to order. Often, a small object (such as a feather or a small stick) is passed around clockwise. (Actually, the direction is that of the sun: clockwise in the northern hemisphere, counter-clockwise south of the equator).When you hold the stick, it's your time to speak, if you have anything say. In theory, others in the circle do not interrupt the speaker. In practice, the focalizer sometimes politely interrupts rambles; rainbow newbies often try to talk over speakers (they are promptly put in their place); and old hands who cannot contain themselves often butt in with a "May I please address the stick?"
I have heard that some of these rules where adopted from Hopi Indian traditions. Talking circles are used at workshops, sharing circles, and for "vision council", where the location of the next gathering is chosen.
Rainbow Songs
There's a lot of singing in the rainbow, and there are many songs. At my first gathering, I fell in love with all the communal singing that took place. It's one of the discoveries that got me hooked to the rainbow and one of the main reasons I have kept coming back.At dinner circle, one or several songs ususally get sung before the Om that signals the start of dinner. And at night, many people congregate around fires to sing "heart songs" (usually in English) or bhajans (usually in Sanskrit).
This is a vast topic and I've made a page just for rainbow songs.
Sh_t pits, aka "sh_tters"
After meals, announcements are often made. The first time I heard the call "We need diggers for sh_tters", I was not motivated to join. Why? Digging a "sh_t pit" sounds dirty!Once you start digging one, though, you realize that no sh_t is involved. You are only digging the pit; the sh_t comes later. Digging a sh_tter is a nice job, especially if you work on a team. It's really good exercise, and it's one of the most useful things you can do for the community at a rainbow gathering.
Sh_tters come in all kinds of designs. The one I like best is a long trench about a foot wide and three-feet deep. You straddle the trench anywhere along its length (which can exceed 30 feet) and do your business in comfort.
Magic Hat
Rainbow gatherings are funded in three main ways. First, collections are taken after each meal by passing around a hat ("the magic hat"). This collection is usually made colorful by the group of children, musicians and dancers who go around the circle with the hat.Although I've never been involved in the "magic hat committee" in charge of the collection, safe-keeping and allocation of hat funds, my understanding is that the NZ World Gathering needed about NZ$2 (about US$1.50) per person per day to keep the show going. With such a low amount, you'd think that the gathering would run at a huge surplus. But that's not the case, and many gatherings go through lean times where lentils are the main fare and green vegies are nowhere seen.
A second way gatherings are funded is with donations in kind, most notably with bulk food for the kitchen. Often, such food donations are made by people who have relationships (and sweet deals) with organic coops, or even by the very people who have grown the food. Others make some very practical purchases for the community, for instance tools, tarps and water pipes.
A third way that people contribute funds to gatherings is by focalizing and financing a communal space such as a chai tent, a 24-hour pop-corn kitchen or a bakery.
Everyone is encouraged to donate early on in the gathering so that funds will be there to help build up the camp. So that when the magic hat goes around later in the gathering, few people can be seen contributing cash—many more are seen putting a kiss or a smile into the hat: presumably, they have donated all their money upfront. Nevertheless, the poverty economics of the rainbow can make one wonder how much "all their money" was that they put into the hat to begin with: twenty dollars? Fifty dollars? There is a huge gap between the amounts contributed by poorer members of the family—who may not even live in a dollar economy and therefore have none to give—and by the more affluent members, who can afford to part with ten, twenty or more dollars a day. Then there are the "tourists" who come in with swank gear and cell-phone energy for a day or two; and, for all the moaning one can hear about them, the tourists are a huge help to the magic hat, because many of them think nothing of dropping twenty dollars for the amazing experience that is rainbow. I know, I was one.
There is also something to be said for those who contribute their "energy", be it by spending their days working in the kitchen or by playing their banjo to encourage the cooks. Then there are those who claim to be "holding the energy" by gracing the gathering with their blissful, enlightened presence. That's right about where I draw the "drainbow" line.
Drainbows
"Drainbows" are the brothers and sisters who show up at gatherings, don't put money in the magic hat and sit around all day discussing points of esoterica or torturing a lame guitar while others dig sh_t pits, prepare food, and build structures and water systems. When the proportion of "drainbows" to "rainbows" goes past the tipping point, the workers get discouraged and a bitter energy spreads through the gathering.I am too new to rainbow to be a reliable observer of trends, but, having queried old-timers on the subject, I have been told that in the long-standing battle between rainbows and drainbows, the drainbows are slowly winning. At the NZ World Gathering, I was struck by how all communal tasks turned into a "Mexican stand-off", where the parties wait for hours to see who will be the first to move a finger.
For me, drainbows are a huge turn off. The drainbow energy makes me want to come to a gathering with my own food supply or not attend at all.
Rainbow Hygiene
With hundreds of people camping (and sh_tting) in the wild for weeks, hygiene is a big concern at rainbow. Tales are common of everyone getting sick at a gathering, either after a meal or because of a mishap with the water supply. As a result, there are a number of rainbow hygiene rules, such as:- keep your fingernails short (to avoid contaminating the food with the germ farm under your nails);
- wash your hands, especially after going to the toilet and before starting work in the kitchen;
- when you serve at food circle, don't touch people's plates with the ladle.
Sadly, many people don't follow these rules. With a lot of newcomers over the course of a gathering (typically, half of the people at a dinner circle are attending their first gathering), it's a big job to keep everyone informed. But it's not just the newcomers. It seems to me that a lot of old-timers are just as unhygienic. There's a lot of "you should be able to withstand a bit of bacteria" attitude; and perhaps a bit of "no one's looking, and my dirt is not as bad as your dirt" also.
In any case, I've worked in enough rainbow kitchens to know that I can't trust the hygiene all of the time, and that's not good enough for me; I don't like to play Russian roulette with my meals. Even if a hygiene freak is focalizing the kitchen, you're always at the mercy of people touching their faces with the hands they just washed; of a happy feral walking in and touching people who then forget to wash their hands again; etc.
And who are we kidding, that hundreds of people who live in the woods for weeks, many of them waging an ideological battle against soap, can somehow show up in a kitchen and prepare clean food?
In fact, if there is one true rule of rainbow hygiene, it is probably this: Thou shalt not pass solid stools while at a rainbow gathering.
Hugs
The rainbow tribe is very tactile. People will run out of the woods to give you a hug. After a while, even those who enjoy hugs can find this offputting, especially as body odor rises in potency and complexity over the course of a gathering. Attractive women in particular must defend themselves against "hug sharks" who will jump up from intricate yoga postures at the first chance of a fleshy squeeze. If lice descend on the camp, hug phobia rises in pitch, and wearers of dreadlocks attract dirty looks.Holding Hands
Hand holding is also big at rainbow. Most talking circles start with everyone holding hands for a moment to "focus the intention and bring everyone in the same energy". Those who know the etiquette of circle hand-holding present their left hand facing up (if they are sitting) or forward (if they are standing), and their right hand facing down or back. The idea is that the left hand is for receiving, the right hand is for giving. You rarely choose who sits next to you in a circle, so this hand-holding can sometimes make you cringe (see hygiene above). Especially since hand-holding is a compulsory part of the pre-meal ritual. To be fair, before you've had a chance to sink into your food, someone often comes around to squirt your hands with water mixed with tea tree or eucalyptus oil—and you know that will kill 99% of germs, right? I'm a freak—I bring my own sanitizer.Dogs
In theory, rainbows are dog-free events. And in practice, that was the case at all the gatherings I attended in the Southern hemisphere. Many times, I see a brother walk up the track with a dog. Right then, I know that I will probably be seeing that same brother walking in the other direction the next day. That is because many people will have given him grief about his dog. That is one of the rainbow rules that people are good at enforcing in the southern hemisphere. Dogs make a mess in kitchens, they sh_t everywhere, they disrupt the wildlife, they get into barking contests, they intimidate passersby, they lick babies' faces and create other such hygiene and safety hazards. Yes, I know, not your dog, the other brother's dog. When your dog does it, it's just cute.In the northern hemisphere, it's a different story (but it would be, as toilets there flush backwards). When I walked into the site at the 2009 national gathering in New Mexico (my first US gathering), I was shocked to see dogs running around everywhere. It was explained to me that US gatherings attract a large contingent of "gutter kids" and homeless grown-ups, and that most of them have dogs for self-defence. I remember well my ride to Albuquerque out of the gathering, in a car from the "Phat Kids" camp, at whose kitchen I'd eaten during clean-up. There were five of us in the car, and four dogs!
By the way, I really enjoyed hanging out with the Phat Kids for a few days and learning about their culture. Another memory from that ride to town was that each time we stopped (at a petrol station, at a McDonald's and at a grocery store), the kids made a point to rummage through all of the garbage cans in sight. "We're professionals", one of them explained. I'd heard about "dumpster diving" but had never seen it performed. It's really cool—I've heard about the amazing finds people have made at the back of supermarkets. Someday, I'll learn more about this practice, and, who knows, perhaps earn my certificate.
Alcohol
Rainbow gatherings are usually advertised as alcohol-free events. In Australia, that tends to hold true most of the time. That is, in a circle of 300 people, you might have a couple of guys sneaking in a beer, and a few more sharing a cask of wine in their camp. In a country where you're raised to socialize at the pub around cold beers, it's hard to keep alcohol completely out. At the Washpool gathering, when the local Aboriginal people were invited for the full moon celebration, for many days prior there was a raging debate about whether to enforce the no-alcohol rule, because alcohol was otherwise to be expected as it has also become a big part of Aboriginal culture. I don't believe a consensus was made, so the non-decision defaulted to one of "let live".In the States, alcohol is a reality of the gathering. At national gatherings, there is an A-camp ("A" for Alcohol) close to the road, at the entrance of the gathering. At the only US gathering I attended, the A camp was less rowdy than I had imagined, though it was the scene of one stabbing, one rape (the victim had passed out drunk), and a near-lynching when the perpetrator confessed.
Meat
The meat story is the same as the alcohol story. On paper, gatherings are vegetarian and the kitchens are supposed to serve vegan food, but in Australia you hear debates about whether some brothers should organize to go hunting kangaroo when local Aborigines are invited. And, at US gatherings, where there is not just the one kitchen, but many kitchens serving all kinds of foods, you will come across meat camps. In New Mexico, people raved about the elk fajitas served at Bread of Life (a Christian camp) one evening.Drugs
Rainbows are often advertised as drug-free, and, to the extend that "drugs" mean alcohol and coffee, they do a pretty good job of holding up to their promise, at least in some parts of the world.However, cannabis use is rampant in the rainbow. So is the use of psychedelics. At the 2010 new year party in NZ, a hundred people were said to have taken LSD trips. This kind of scene does not please rainbow purists, who deplore the loss of ceremony and family spirit. Nevertheless, there are many psychedelic experts among the old hands also.
Money
Rainbows are non-commercial events. You won't find a food stall there selling you sandwiches. In fact, your dollar is pretty much useless, except to contribute to the magic hat.However, in the States, there are "trading circles" where people exchange various goods. It's a bit like a flea market, with everything on offer from camping gear to hand-made jewelry. The grand ideal is that brothers and sisters will be able to swap goods they don't want for goods they do want. However, how likely is it that the person who has something you want happens to want something you have? Not very likely. That's the beauty of a currency as a means of exchange.
In fact, there is a currency at trading circle. It's called marijuana. The reality of trading circle is that many transactions get settled in green buds. In light of this fact, the "no dollar" stance can seem hypocritical. But it's also a necessity: apparently, the right to assemble in national forests is contingent upon the absence of monetary transactions. And, for the record, since we're talking about America, ultimately everything goes, including greenbacks.
Six Up!
One thing I enjoyed at the US national gathering was the local rainbow lingo, particularly with respect to law enforcement, always an obsession in a country where police cars lurk on every corner. At US gatherings, unlike at gatherings I have attended anywhere else, you will often see people in uniform walking around the camp. Those who carry guns are called leos for "law enforcement officers". When you see one of them, you shout "six up!" The "six" refers to the six bullets in a revolver. The "Six Up" call—code for "police officer nearby"—is much appreciated by rainbowers and law enforcement people alike. It gives cannabis smokers a chance to put out their joints. And it allows leos to avoid spotting marijuana users, saving them the hassle of law enforcement and confrontation.The national parks people, usually in green uniforms, are known as "resources" and much esteemed by some. Apparently, several people in the parks service are employed year-round just for rainbow! As a joke, the call "seven up" is sometimes heard when parks people approach.
Rainbow Movies
At talking circles, you'll hear endless claims that "rainbow is about…", countered by claims that "for me, rainbow is about…". If there is one true statement one can make about rainbow, it's that rainbow means different things to different people.One friend expresses this by saying that everyone at rainbow is running their own movie. Perhaps by coincidence, at recent gatherings I've noticed the word "movie" used in reference to all kinds of activities: "Is that pizza movie still happening?", "After that yoga movie I'll go to the kitchen", etc.
Of course, these are temporary movies that have nothing to do with the big movies people can play in their heads when they come to rainbow. What are some of these movies? Here are a few. I'll add more when I think of them. If you're a rainbow reading this and have other ideas, your contributions are welcome! (Please use the comment form at the bottom.) And everyone please chill, the movie list is here for fun. :)
— the Shaman movie (often female, the shaman dresses in feathers and conducts ceremonies)
— the Big Man movie (big man tells the tribe how to think and what to do)
— the Fairy movie (the fairy dresses in green and listens to rocks sing)
— the Guru movie (the guru helps less spiritually-advanced family members on the path to enlightenment)
— the Rainbow Warrior movie (the rainbow warrior wants to convert everyone in Babylon to the rainbow way of living)
— the Big Mama movie (the mama rules over the kitchen with an iron fist and a rewarding smile)
— the Survivor movie (the survivor wants to prepare the family for the apocalypse, when everyone will have to live in the woods)
— the Music Star movie (the music star goes around with a guitar or djembe he hasn't learned how to play, hoping that someone will think he's cool)
— the Shanti movie (the shanti is a brother or sister who has all the right clothes, apparel and moves of the rainbow fashionista—such as dreadlocks and an ever-readiness for sending love and light)
Rainbow demographics
At my first gathering in Australia, I was struck by the wide age range of the people I saw, from babies to elders and everything in between. This led me to believe that the rainbow was a representative slice of a society's age pyramid. However, what had escaped me was that this slice was heavily weighted on the twenty-to-forty side, particularly on the younger side of that range.Later, I attended gatherings without anyone over sixty. In fact, I found myself in crowds where I was often the oldest person. And I was not yet forty.
I once heard Ella MagikFaerie of the world rainbow family say that rainbow has no elders, because people come to rainbow, learn what they need to learn, then leave to start their own organic farms, communities and so on. And I believe that this is largely true. Rainbow is amazingly dysfunctional. Once you've got your bearings, why would you stick around?
At recent gatherings, I have been struck by how much of rainbow is colored by "hook-up energy". It is very much a singles' crowd. This had not struck me at my first gathering because I was single. But when you're not looking, the fact stands out. This may also help explain why so few people past the age of forty can be seen at gatherings.
Technology
Rainbow is traditionally low-tech or even anti-tech. Motorized tools such as chain saws are often allowed during seed camp. Once the gathering starts, the eyes and ears of the family must be spared such sights and sounds.It used to be complex to carry a camera around at a gathering, because the low-tech issue compounded with many rainbowers' desire for privacy. However, with the advent of digital cameras, this has all changed. At first, it was the tourists—you just cannot tell young Japanese women that they cannot snap a picture. Then it was the rainbow kids of the Ipod generation.
It's a telling reality check about rainbow and technology that nowadays, almost everyone is on Facebook.
World Rainbow Gathering
In a sense, at every gathering anywhere in the world, the whole world is invited. But the whole world doesn't show up at every gathering in, say, Germany. By calling a gathering a "world" gathering, you really signal that people are expected to travel from far and wide; and they do. In fact there is now a crowd that calls itself the "world family", made up of people who attend world gatherings and expect to see one another there. "World gatherings" can only be called so by the vision council at the previous world gathering. And there have been several fake, pseudo- or "almost" world gatherings, among which the 2007 "intergalactic" gathering in Mexico and the 2008 gathering in the Altai region of Russia.To my knowledge, these are the only official gatherings (to date or planned) in the "World" series of gatherings:
Australia (2000)
Zimbabwe (2001)
Brazil (2003)
Costa Rica (2004)
Turkey (2005)
Thailand (2006)
China (2008)
New Zealand (2009-2010)
Argentina (2011)
More rainbow culture
This section is a holding place for topics I plan to write about later:welcome centers, missions, consensus, phases of the gathering (scouting, seed camp etc.)
Smiles,
Andy
ps: If you have enjoyed this page, I would be immensely grateful if you would link to it, bookmark it or share it. You can also comment using the form below.
Rainbow Gathering Links
Yahoo groups are the best way to keep up to date on many "international" gatherings:World gatherings
Australia
Brazil
France
Hawaii
Middle East