The Rainbow Family Gathering

“Some 15,000 Rainbow family members are gathering in the mountains of Idaho. I ran into some of them the past weekend, as they soaked in a few of "my" hot springs. They seem like nice enough people, the ones I met. Does anyone have any experience with them? They are camping in a very sensitive area due to salmon and bull trout spawning grounds. The local Indians have asked them to not camp there, but to no avail. I would probably go visit them on the weekend of the 4th, except for the idea of adding to the salmon spawning damage. There have been a number of petty crimes associated with them in the Boise area; shoplifting, dine and dash, gas and go, etc. Any experience with or opinions on the Rainbow people?”

“What exactly are Rainbow people? Are they Indians too?”

“They are hippies, for lack of a better term. They drive beat up vehicles, some have converted school buses, many have VW buses. They have torn up and dirty clothing generally, many of the guys have dreadlocks, and pretty strong body odor. The girls don't shave their pits. Many have piercings and tatoos. They are what we used to call "the counterculture." I used to go to their (hippies) barter fairs 20 years ago, and always had a great time seeing a different culture. They are Indian wannabees, and often camp in teepees. That's why I thought they might listen to the Indians when they asked them to camp somewhere else.”

“Are they gypsies, or Amway salespeople?”

“The stink, they steal, and they never heard of LNT.”

“i know many Rainbow people and they are not like Idaho Bob says at all . at least not the ones I know. I would call them old hippies though. but the ones I know have clean hair , shave there pits and are into the environment and lots of herbs. they are not bad people at all.”

“Isn't that Jesse jackson's group?”

“I've run into people who conisder themselves part of the rainbow family off and on since '73 pr '74. They are a loose and pretty anarchic confederation. As far as I know, their national gatherings are almost always illegal.. they never have permits to do what they do. Whatever organizational structure they have they keep pretty well hidden (I assume to keep from getting arrested or sued). They have a web site which professes to be unofficial (http://206.168.38.1/www.welcomehome.org/), but people involved take to be official. Because of the size of their gatherings, the counter cultural nature and the level of durg use I don't think anyone ever wants the national gatherings to take place where they are. If I understand correctly, they keep the exact location of their gatherings secret until the last minute.

It started out in the US, but now there are rainbow groupings and events around the world. They are generally into native american religions and cultures, alternate conciousness, various kinds of mysticism and spirituality. There are lots of different sub-groups and different people will set up different sites and tents at the gatherings.

I did a lot of research and updating of my information on the group because I had a patient who had traveled with the tribe for a long time. There are a huge variety of people who come from con artists to organic farmers to new agers to petty crooks and drug dealers. There are also lots of lost souls looking for community. My general impression is that these are usually gentle, interesting thoughtful folk who can often be irritatingly irresponsible.

Sorry I don't have time to organize my thoughts more. Personally a lot of what goes on seems pretty interesting and positive, other things seem ridiciulous, and still others annoy the *&^% out of me. In a lot of ways, these are still folks who would be stuck together in that old category "hippies."”

“It's really two societies in one. You have the core "rainbow people" that MOM describes and you have the derelict fringe that go to the gatherings to sell/do drugs, and get into trouble. I have met several wonderful rainbow people, even picked up a few hitchhiking before. However, they are stubborn as hell when it comes to picking a place to camp. The rainbow community feel that federal land is everyone's land and that they can camp where ever they feel like it. Vermont environmentalists had the same problem when the rainbow people came to hold their gathering in a state forest. A group that big will do significant environmental damage no matter if they follow LNT or not.”

“My impression of them is similar to PedXing's. There a lot of them that I can identify with, but a few that are total parasites on society. Their response to asking them to move to another area within 20 miles of their chosen location, was that 1) it was too late to get the word out 2) how can the forest service criticize them when the FS auctions off timber and profits from the land being raped and 3) their philosophy was to protect the land, so not to worry. My earlier description of them was not meant to be derogatory, but merely factual from what I have seen.

The cops are out in force on the highways near where they are. I saw 15 cops or so, and some groups of 5 cop cars stopped to chat. Wow! One campground had some cop cars in it, like they were car camping to be in the area. My old truck and camper could be taken for a Rainbow vehicle, so I was driving slow.”

“Think Woodstock, but without the live bands. Maybe a little greyer, too. There you go, you got the picture!”

“Call out the FBI agents that were at Ruby Ridge. You know, the ones that shot Randy Weaver's wife. They'll take care of them.”

“We got a Rainbow ranch out here but the BOYS who attend aren't hippies.”

“I live in a Rainbow Ranch, and it is nothing like what you all are talking about. We do alot of baking, work out to Richard Simmons Videos nad watch old Tony Curtis Movies. If any of those nasty FBI men bother us, I swear to gawd I'll just slap them silly!”

“doesn't take very long does it. One day a mild manner man the next day a full blown flamer!”

“The term we used to use for the dine & dash/gas & go type Rainbow people was "rainbum". They are the ones that go to the gatherings with no camping supplies or food but $500 worth of drugs. These are the people that are basicly social parasites. They find a home in the Rainbow Family because it would be "uncool" to tell someone to go away.

There are people at the gatherings the try to minimize impact but group's structure is so anarchistic that if people don't wanna learn others can't really force the issue. "Don't be a heavy Mmaaaan."

No matter what though; if you have several hundred people in a tent city for a week with communal kitchens, latrines, etc., you ARE going to destroy a good part of the beauty that drew you there in the first place.

I can see what the optimists see in the group. Standing in a valley during a gathering with an eye for LNT will snap you back to reality though.”

“The Rainbow people use to come to Arkansas and camp in the Ouachita Mountains south of Lake Ouachita, every year (about five miles from my house). Several bus loads of them would camp in the woods for several months and then move on. About five years ago one of them shot a teenage boy that was comming around the camp one night. They said he had been there earlier in the day with a friend wanting to buy some grass, they told him they didn't have any ( yea right), anyway he came back that night and was causing some problems and i guess they felt threatened and thought they needed to kill him. The prosecuting attorney said they were just protecting themselves, no charges were filed. When they left that time the Local forest rangers closed the roads that they always used to get into the woods and now have no camping signs in the area, they've not been back since.”

“I think they're cool.”

“Of course you do Steve.

We have had Rainbow folks in the woods around Flagstaff a couple of times. The local forest folks and cops worked with them pretty well to keep things clean and minimize damage.”

“Modern day hippy, drug munchin, fun lovin, vagabonds!”

“they aren't even hippies, they're hippy wannabes!

damned dirty hippy-wannabes!”

“I think "vagabond" sums it up: as per Webster: vag-a-bond adj. 1 wandering. 2 living a drifting or irresponsible life; shiftless --n. 1 one who wanders from place to place. 2 a wandering beggar. 3 an idle or shiftless person.”

“I think we've talked about this before! The idea is okay but it just doesn't work out the way it's supposed to. (Peace love and harmony) It ends up theft, rape and ruin. I speak of a close friend of mine and her three gathering experiences. It wasn't pretty.”

“I'd just like to know how they make a living. I'd like to be able to take a month or two off to go travel. Maybe that will be how I retire, just get a VW bus and drive around with the Family. Do these guys typically have some kind of jobs? How can girls so nice looking go for guys so gross looking? I don't get it.”

“Urban legend or true story??

Several years ago when they gathered in California, a fellow and a woman (presumably his wife) drove to a local gas station in a new, shiny BMW. The paid the station owner a few hundred dollars to store the car out of site behind the garage. The couple then changed out his three piece suit and she out of her Armani pants suit and into some rather ragged jeans and tie dyed shirts. They walked out to the highway, stuck out thie thumbs, and caught a ride to the gathering.


I don't care how eco-conscious a person claims to be. 20,000+ people have a major impact regardless how careful each individual acts. Major events on public lands, like the burning man festival, rock concerts, rallys; etc. all have a sponsor that posts a bond and has a mitigation plan. A thorough site rehab is funded and implemented when the event is concluded.

These culls refuse to do the same. There is no difference between what these idiots are doing and ELF's terrorism.”

“What is ELF? That trick with the BMW is a good idea. However, my 1976 GMC 3/4 ton pickup with rusted wheel wells fits in pretty good with the crowd up there. I might go up this weekend and check them out. At the hippie barter fairs I used to go to and sell dried fruit, the scenery got pretty interesting in the afternoons when it started to get hot. I also sold peach wine at those things, but the next they banned homemade wine.”

“for that matter, what the hell is a cull?”

“they're f'ing parasitic leaches that better look out, what with their peace-nic ways and moppy headed drug-dealing fish-spawn-distuirbin' freaking hippy wanna-be ways...

If I ever find one of those losers I'll wring their scrawny necks while washing them with the most commercially unethical, environmentally unfriendly industrial grade dolphin containing heavy duty mother f?ing detergent I can find...

f'ing peace loving troglodytes!

bring 'em on baby!! cuz the soap is foamin' and so am I!!!

Hippy !$%&s!”

“They had one of their big gatherings a couple years ago in Central Oregon. There was plenty of hype and concern about it.

My recollection is that there was some petty crime (as described above) in the nearby town of Prineville, but nothing too serious. In addition, I think they did a better job of cleaning up and restoring the camping area than most people expected.”

“This land they want to use should have protection against it like we have when we hike. You know, where only groups of 12 or so can get a permit. Granted people should be able to go anywhere, the area we travel in should be protected.

My husband saw a show on 60 minutes a long time ago, about a pediphile joining the group. This man took a child, and he thinks the child was never found.”

“There are protections, sort of. You have to get a group camping permit. They applied for one, and were denied. They are coming anyway. There aren't enough jail cells in Idaho, nor enough cops to arrest 15,000+ people. They are issueing some citations, like for camp fires in meadows, but if a person has no job, no address, no car, and no money, what does a citation mean to him? How can he be forced to pay? In a week he'll be out of the state, and never be seen in Idaho again.”

“I camped next to about 30 of them on the St. Joe River in N. Idaho back in '82. They were there to protest spraying tussok moth infestations or something. They were odd, but really nice. They played flutes and walked around naked a little bit.

Occasionally they would huddle up around the fire and chant, growing progressively louder, and then throw up their arms, look to the sky and shout. I asked them what they were doing and they said they were "sending positive energy throughout the universe." I came across one guy sitting all alone talking to a bush...

They did smell and were ragged. They also crapped all over the place so we had to watch our step. There were valut toilets around but they were covered with sh*t.

They were different, but they were nice.”

“Idaho Bob, I understand what you are saying. It's a damn shame that they can't inforce the law. I couldn't conceive of calling the Rainbow Family a nice group if they don't respect the land, and are known for theivery and drug use.”

“That being said, I might go up there Saturday, and check out the scene.”

“sometimes the ideals that we strive to live by are also the same held by the ignorant, uneducated and short-sighted.”

“Idaho Bob, you will have to let us inquiring minds know your view of the get together when you get back.”

“I had a friend that went and saw them when they were in Kentucky. He said they would do things like trade hugs for beers, or sing you a song for whatever you had they wanted. Really cheesy bartering. He said he had a blast.”

“Better wait till everything wears off before posting your report though.”

“Who wouldn't trade a hug for a beer?”

“The term ?rainbum? I find funny because what rainbums are to the Rainbow Family the Rainbow Family is to our national/global community. Not that that is a bad thing.

They say its freedom, freedom from being a slave to capitalism or what not. How well do you think the RF would go without hard working capitalistic American paying his or her taxes for the federal lands they camp on, the roads they travel on. Where would they be if our capitalistic society that they depend on for the non-intracommunal goods they consume (like auto gas, groceries, used clothing & what not) did not exist?

Its hard to raise your own food when you?re a vagabond. Its hard to buy someone?s used jeans if there is no one buying new jeans. I don?t think the RF would make it on its own for very long. At least not as we know them. These guys are just as dependant on capitalism as you & I. They might refuse to acknowledge the fact & we should let them.

Anyhow, I know I probably won?t make much sense to most of you so I will summarize my self before I write a twelve page manifesto. The RF live in what they dreamed to be an ?Ideal Society? (filled with peace & love, defined by some of the simplest social concepts) & found out that it isn?t as simple as they thought. They are troubled with the same problems as the society they are rebelling against. It?s how they deal with those problems that is important.

We have a lot to learn from the Rainbow Family. It is like a Lab if you will, so is the Burningman. A micro-community within our own community that is trying new thing & retrying old things that failed for some reason or another. The Ginipigs have chosen to be so, so there is no harm done in this ongoing social experiment. The fact is we should be observing them & researching them not fearing them & chastising them. Communities like the RF have a lot to offer mankind & we are not taking full advantage of this wonderfull situation. There is nothing to fear, if they found something that works better than the society we live in now is doing wouldn?t you think we would take on some of their philosophies? Incase you haven?t noticed we already have.

You have got to love your neighbor, except his or her weakness & try to make best of any situation. The only way you can fix a problem is to know the problem. I don?t think anyone knows what the problem is.

$.02”

“Welcome back Orbit!”

“bacpac - in this case, you would get a hug, and THEY would get your beer.”

“Generally, I try to judge individuals, not groups.”

“OK...each Rainbow participant is a modern day hippy, drug munchin, fun lovin, vagabond!”

“People who make sweeping judgements about other people are all sheis kopfs (or however you spell it)..”

“damned dirty scheisskopfs!”

“or, umm....

dirty Scheiß-Kopfs!”

“Welcome back Orbit!!
Every time I see a long post, I think of you, and dog if this time it was you!”

“You're all a bunch af hikin' backpackers!”