Roots Rendezvous
September 16, 17, 18
The Roots Rendezvous is an opportunity for us to come together and learn more about the natural environment that we live within. These workshops cover a wide array of topics; stone tools, weaving, tracking, pottery, bows, naturalist studies, ninjutsu, and more that are grounded in the idea that we as people can become more conscious, stronger, effective and capable stewards of the land that supports us. People of all skill levels are welcome to come and participate in this gathering of learning and celebration of the natural world. This is an all ages event and children and families are welcome.
Friday
10:00-12
Herbal Medicine for Community Disaster Relief with folk herbalist Sandra Lory of Mandala Botanicals. Learn tried and true remedies for shock, trauma, injuries, grief, and more, using local, wild, cultivated, edible and medicinal plants.
Cattail Mats with Nick Neddo of ROOTS
Plants and Paper with Benny Dalton
Tree Climbing with Gifford Walsh
Youth Awareness games with ROOTS
11:30-12:30 Lunch
1-3 pm
Wilderness Physical Conditioning with Abdul Mujib of North Country Kettlebells ages 14 and up
Finger Weaving with Emily Jernigan Limited to 7. This is a strap/sash weaving technique of great beauty.
Camouflage and Stalking with Morgan Southgate and Brendan Popp. Youth Program
Introduction to Flint Knapping with Brad Salon of ROOTS
Fire by Friction; Hand drill with Sarah Corrigan of ROOTS
Book Binding with Natural Fibers with Benny Dalton
Beehive Medicine with Tim Mcfarline. Using honey, propolis and beeswax we will prepare a simple and effective salve useful for treating wounds and burns. Participants will leave with their own salve and a sample of propolis tincture. We will also overview other uses (such as syrups) and if time allows prepare some other easy to make home remedies. $10 material fee
3:30-5:30 pm
Ninjutsu with Ben Goodrich of New England Ninjutsu
Weaving with Emily Jernigan
Establishing, and Managing Wild Edibles with Nicko Rubin of East Hill Tree Farm
How do we spread maintain and encourage useful wild species. This will have less emphasis on identification and more on harvest, use, and maintaining for productivity.
Resource Wander with Wren for Youth
Cattail Mats with Nick Neddo of Roots School Learn how to use a simple, easy to make, three bear loom to weave beautiful and functional cattail mats. This workshop is for all ages.
Mead Making Come learn the craft of celebration and make some mead, be it simple honey or with the additions of fruit and spices. Participants will have the opportunity to check out a variety of recipes, make a few gallons for next years event, and leave with a bottle of your own concoction. There will be a small materials fee for the mead you take home. You must be 21 years of age.
6-7 pm Dinner
7:30 and on...
Fireside chat: Civilization
Steve Gorelick
Harlan Morehouse
Chris Jackson
Saturday
9 am
Run! 5K coordinated by Jesse Rosene
All Day: Seth Kelley has been practicing traditional joinery methods with hand tools for 12 years. Using these techniques he has restored barns, covered bridges, and meeting houses of Vermont to their original state. Seth will be demonstrating some of the use of his favorite tools by splitting, riving, and shaping oak for chairs. Also on display will be vintage adzes, chisels, hand planes, and boring machines.
10-12:00 am
Wilderness Physical Conditioning with Abdul Mujib of North Country Kettlebells ages 14 and up
Fermentation with Susannah Jones and Graham Unangst-Rufenacht
Emergency Preparations for the Homestead with Ben Falk of Whole Systems Design. This presentation is focused on how to deal with resource shortages such as food, fuel, and electricity.
Wild Rice Harvesting and Processing with Andrew Cart. This will continue on through the day
Youth Games! with Pierce Walsh, a long time educator of children in the natural world.
12-1 Lunch
1-3 pm
Herbal First Aid by Energetics with Betzy Bancroft of Vermont Center of Integrative Herbalism. This is a hands-on, experiential approach to learning some 'barefoot' first aid remedies with common local. We'll cover a few basics of plant medicine, and demonstrate applying herbs without need of a kitchen.
The Botanical World with Bob Pop, Vermont State Botanist
Ninjutsu with Ben Goodrich of New England Ninjutsu
Bark Plaiting Techniques with Nick Neddo
Wild Plants as Earth Healers, Food and Medicine with Annie McCleary and George Lisi of Wisdom of the Herbs School and Transition Town Montpelier VT
Camouflage and Stalking with Morgan Southgate and Brendan Popp. Youth Program
3:30-5:30 pm
Straw Weaving with Emily Jernigan
Bees and Salve with Tim Mcfarline
Participants will be able leave with there own salve in a small jar. There is a materials fee of $10 for a jar, materials and a small sample of either propolis tincture or herbal honey syrup.
Throwing Knives, Tomahawks, and Hatchets with Brad Salon of ROOTS
Entomophagy: Enjoying the tasty bugs that Nature provides with David Gracer of Small Stock Foods. Insects come in a wide variety of shapes, colors, and flavors. We'll talk about why insects are good food, why a lot of people refuse to accept the idea, and how to go about collecting them [or rearing them at home] for our meals. Dave will bring some with him, and we'll go hunt for more. Materials fee: $10
Direct Observation of the Botanical with Dan Farrell
Cattail Mats with Wren
Fire by Friction with ROOTS School
Primitive Toliets with Carl Etnier of Peak Oil Awareness. Primitive toilets can be much more advanced than hole-in-the-ground outhouses. They can transform feces and urine into useful compost, provide a unique social space, and be nearly odor-free. Carl Etnier will bring his sawdust toilet, talk about the power of urine, and explain year-round management of humanure composting in places where it gets 40 below.
6-7 pm Dinner
7:30 and on
Trade Blanket! Facilitated by Nick Neddo of ROOTS for all ages. Bring beautiful, raw, and/or handcrafted items. There has ben artwork, herbal medicines, drums, a canoe, materials for future projects, a bow, small clay beads, various fruits, and so on… Please refrain from the “I have this Michael Jackson cd from 10 years ago I never listen to that was shoved under the passenger seat of my car.”
Sunday
10-12
Ninjutsu with Ben Goodrich of New England Ninjutsu
Back strap Weaving with Emily Jernigan
Nature in Education with Amy Butler Come be part of an interactive discussion on nature based exploration as a powerful medium for learning in public schools. Child development and theories in educational psychology all point towards time spent in undomesticated spaces as a foundation for strong learning communities. Amy Butler, teacher/naturalist, has been working with public schools to open their doors and get their students outside to learn with amazing results seen by teachers, parents, and school administrators.
Primitive Pottery; Clay Building with Charlie Paquin
Deer Trailing with George Leoniack of Leoniack Tracking Services. Limited to 10.
Entomophagy: Enjoying the tasty bugs that Nature provides with David Gracer of Small Stock Foods. Insects come in a wide variety of shapes, colors, and flavors. We'll talk about why insects are good food, why a lot of people refuse to accept the idea, and how to go about collecting them [or rearing them at home] for our meals. Dave will bring some with him, and we'll go hunt for more. Materials fee: $10
12-1 Lunch
1-3
Wilderness Physical Conditioning with Abdul Mujib of North Country Kettlebells ages 14 and up
Mushroom Walk with Alan LePage of LePage Farm
Deer Trailing with George Leoniack of Leoniack Tracking Services. Limited to 10.
Primitive Pottery; Firing clay outside with Charlie Paquin
Youth Games with Wren
Soap-making with Joann Darling
Let’s re-skill our mental libraries to meet some of our most basic needs. Joann will take you through the soap making process used centuries ago, Leaching lye from hardwood ash and rendering fats, making soap.
Flint Knapping; Pressure Flaking with Brad Salon of Roots School
3-4:30 pm
Back strap Weaving with Emily Jernigan
Resource Wander with Wren
Hide Tanningand Buckskins with Nick Neddo of ROOTS. This will be an overview of tools and techniques of the dry and wet scrape methods.
Open Flint Knapping with Brad Salon of ROOTS
Atl-Atl Construction and Throwing with Charlie Paquin. Build your own atl-atl and try it out. There will be a materials fee for the atl-atl construction.
4:30 pm Group Clean up. Farewell and Thank you
Food and Camping
Camping is included in the cost of admission and is limited to tents and tarps. We have outhouses and a sink with running water in camp. Meals are not included in the cost of the program and students may either bring food to be cooked over the fire or buy food during lunch and dinner. Meals will be under $10 dollars and there will be vegatarian options. As this is an open registration event we cannot meet other dietary concerns. Please let us know if you have any questions.
Directions may be found on the Location page. Be careful using google maps or a GPS, these often misguide people in our area...
Cost: $75-$125 for the whole weekend & includes camping. $25-$40 a day includes enrollment to all workshops. This is based on a sliding scale model, and so you pay what you choose based on the parameters. Don't worry, there is no proving test. We can only accept credit cards online, yet there is not a lot of flexibility in options provided by google. Some participants have combined the payment options to come to the correct total, otherwise you can pay upon arrival with a check or cash. Thank you!
Deposit: $25, and is included within the price of admission for the weekend.
Prerequisites:
None
Cattail mat weaving on an ancient loom at the Roots Rendezvous 2009
Cooking with primitve pottery and bark vessels.
Pine Needle Basket
Ben Goodrich instructing in Ninjutsu
Cooking over fire and coals while Benne and Nikki stuff basswood leaves with rasberries and rabbit.
Flintknapping tools, stages, and final peices
glorious fall