Cross-Cultural Etiquette

It is our mission to be a place for people of all kinds and backgrounds to come together to share, connect, and learn from one another. In order to make this a reality, we must go beyond simply being respectful: we must desire a deeper understanding and connection with each other. We must become cultural ambassadors. This requires diplomacy, openness, and curiosity—a desire to learn more and to challenge our assumptions. It may at times require us to change some of our habits to be more accommodating of the many cultures and perspectives represented at Echoes. We are asked to come as our best selves, and this means having the willingness to change in ways that make our space more welcoming and diverse. Please be sensitive, thoughtful, and respectful. Verbal abuse, personal attacks, hatred, vitriol, or deliberate rudeness will not be tolerated at Echoes in Time. Anyone making prejudiced or disparaging remarks about race, gender, sexuality, disability, etc., will be asked to leave. If you find these guidelines difficult to follow, this is not the right event for you. If on the other hand you are inspired by our mission of openness, connection, and courtesy, come on down! Here is a very basic article on how to be respectful: http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Respectful

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Classes

The classes are the heart of the Echoes in Time experience. Everyone arrives on Sunday to set up their camps and get oriented; classes are held Monday through Friday; and on Saturday, we break camp and go home. Many different classes are offered throughout the week. Skills taught by our instructors focus on ancient living techniques but may also include the latest in low-impact, appropriate technology.

Workshops range from single morning or afternoon classes, to more involved week-long projects, to impromptu “Hey, can you show me how to do that?” sessions. Classes may include displays, lectures and discussions, demonstrations, and lots of hands-on learning. Registration covers the cost of the classes, but instructors may charge a fee for materials, depending on the class. Classes offered at Echoes depend on which instructors are present and what they want to teach. The schedule with classes and signups is listed on a bulletin board in the main camp. In addition, instructors list the classes they are teaching that day during morning announcements. Classes vary from year to year, so we don’t know in advance what will be available. If you have a particular field of interest not mentioned here, let us know upon registering and we’ll do our best to accommodate your curiosity. (All raw materials required for classes will be brought to the site; gathering of plant, animal, and mineral resources is not permitted.)

Example of classes and schedule at Echoes (NOT actual schedule)
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Bow-making Knife-sharpening Wet-felting Kids Atlatl Atlatl Darts Coal Burning Mosquito Spray Traps and Snares Knife-making Finger Weaving Firewood Furniture Wool Moccasins Soapstone Carving Goat Milking/Husbandry Hand Crochet Bracelets Traveling Museum	Infused Herb Oils Felting Pine Needle Baskets Willow Basketry Cattail Hat Folded Bark Container Plaited Bark Basketry Soft Twined Basketry Wild Fermented Sauerkraut Cheese Making Leather Sling Gourd Working Creating Community Chicken Butchering Coal Burning Flute Making Drum Making Buckskin Neck Bag Beadwork	Wool Booties Yew Atlatl Atlatl Darts Awareness Games Book Binding Herbal Deodorant Coal Burning Finger Weaving Flute Making Soapstone Carving Kids Wet Felting Gourd Working Leather Braiding Skin Bags Animal Tracking	Beaded Earrings Drum Making Felting Gourd Working Plant Walk Finger Weaving Wool Moccasins Book Binding Buckskin Bags	Gourd Working Edible Plant Walk Buckskin Neck Bags Wool Moccasins Book Binding

The Philosopher’s Fire

Ancestral skills are not created in a vacuum, but rather emerge through the congress of people, the place they live, and the ideas they have. It is important to talk about the context and relationship between people and place through which crafts and culture are born. The Philosopher’s Fire is a curated evening lecture series by people who are knowledgeable in various fields of prehistory, archaeology, anthropology, and more.  Lectures are usually followed by Q&A and dialogue on various topics.

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Trade Blanket

The trade blanket is a fun and engaging activity where people trade all kinds of items with one another. For those new to the trade blanket, the moderator explains the rules. Participants sit on the edge of the trade blanket. Usually the process goes clockwise. The first person places item(s) on the blanket for trade. No mention is made of monetary value. The moderator points their way around the blanket to each participant who can place item(s) for possible trade or wave with their hand to signify “pass.” The person initiating the trade then looks at the items placed on the blanket (greenbacks, aka money, can be offered but items are preferred). They can accept an offer or reject all offers and remove the initial item. If a trade is made, the object(s) is/are traded to each with a handshake. If no offers are made, the initial offering is removed. Then the moderator points to the next trader to place something out for trade. This process continues for at least one full round. New traders can enter and others leave the circle. We run a children’s trade blanket and an adult trade blanket. The adult trade blanket usually lasts late into the night and can often end up being like a high stakes poker game with very valuable items. It is best to bring several items of varying “value” to the trade blanket so that you can trade at all levels, or so that you can add smaller items to a large item to “sweeten the deal.”

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Barter Fair

The barter fair is a time for instructors to sell their wares. Many of our instructors make a living as makers and this is an opportunity to buy some really amazing hand-crafted items and support local artists.

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Costume and Mask Night

Costume and Mask Night is a celebratory night in which participants create fun costumes and masks, play music, dance around the fire in the evening, and show off the amazing things they have made throughout the week.

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Gratitude & gift-giving at Echoes

One of our intentions is to develop, with each passing year, a stronger and stronger culture of gratitude and gift-giving at Echoes in Time. Please consider bringing cards and gifts.

Gratitude cards. The last day of each Echoes is reserved as a special day for sharing gratitude. On that day, we will hand out gratitude cards so that you can write a note of thanks to the various people who have helped and supported you during your week. You may find that you want to write more cards than we’ll have on hand to give you, however, so please bring more cards or paper (and don’t forget a pen!) so that you can write as many thank you’s as you like.

Gifts. Bring gifts too! You never know what kind of support you’ll be receiving, and gifts are a wonderful way to express appreciation. Consider bringing small items like thoughtfully themed stickers (native plants, for example, or mushrooms), homemade soaps, herbal teas, small beaded or woven items, and so forth—any small, thoughtful gifts you can think of.

The idea is to build a culture of generosity and reciprocity with each other. Let’s give thanks often, and with gusto!

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Childcare Program

Echoes in Time is *not* a summer camp for children. However, in addition to our adult workshops, we offer a childcare program for children of parents who are attending the event. This program is for children ages 5 to 11 and offers kids the chance to learn some of the same skills as their parents. Kids camp coincides with our adult programs, which happen from 10 am to 1pm and 2 pm to 5 pm. Parents are required to spend a couple of mornings or afternoons assisting with kids program activities during the week. You will be asked at the registration booth when you arrive to sign up for “shifts” at kids camp.

Please note that all minors must have a parent or legal guardian in camp at all times. Parents are responsible for their children when their children aren’t attending classes. Children ages 4 and under should remain with their parents unless the kids program staff approves their involvement. Youth ages 12 and up can audit and fully participate in adult classes with the permission of individual instructors.

Sometimes families may need to bring an assistant for a child with disabilities, in which case the assistant may attend Echoes for a discounted price. Please inquire with us directly to arrange.

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Daily Raffle and Scholarship Program

Every morning we raffle off incredible items donated from our community of teachers and participants. At the end of the week we also raffle two full registrations for the following year. The money raised from the raffle goes to our Scholarship Program. Instructors and participants are encouraged to bring amazing items for our raffle. For more information on that, see our registration page.

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General Information and Guidelines

Location

Echoes has moved around the valley over the years. This year the even will be held at Lost Valley Education Center, in Dexter, Oregon (near Eugene/Springfield), on the traditional territory of the Kalapuya. It is about a 1.5-2 hour drive south from Portland. This private property is part farmland and part woodland. This is a private property with a school and residents. Visiting requires pre-approval. You can learn more about the land in the link above.

Directions

Directions to the site are emailed to participants upon registration. Preregistration is required to access the site. We do not accept on-site registrations.

Meals

We provide breakfast and dinner, starting with Sunday evening dinner and ending with Saturday breakfast. Everyone will need to provide their own lunch. Most people bring simple, dry foods like PB&J sandwich makings for their lunches. We try to limit the amount of traffic in and out of the site, so driving in and out for things like ice is discouraged. We have vegetarian and omnivore options. Because of the rise in food sensitivities, most meals are “build-your-own” in style, with different foods and ingredients cooked and served separately. We serve mostly whole foods, with minimal, if any, processed foods. We make the meals as friendly as possible to a diverse group of dietary needs, but if you have severe food sensitivities such as celiac disease, we suggest bringing your own.

Cooking

Cooking is only permitted with portable stoves or in the official fire pit. Campfires are not permitted at individual campsites.

Water

The site has running water. We recommend bringing containers to fill at the water stations for you to have back at your campsite.

Sanitation

Several composting toilets will be available. The site has a solar shower, but it’s limited to a couple people at a time and the water way run out. If you want to bring your own solar shower set up you can do that. Anthony Creek runs through the property and if you’d like to wade in it to rinse off that’s another option. We will have hand-washing stations near the kitchen area and near the restrooms.

Waste

Pack it in, pack it out. Please be ready to pack out any garbage or recycling waste that you bring into the property. Food scraps can be composted. Everything else, like packaging, glass bottles, and food wrappers, must be packed out.

Electricity

There is minimal access to electricity on site. There may be a solar charging station set up at the “Transition Tech” camp this year or near the kitchen.

Cell Coverage

There is minimal cell coverage on site. We encourage people to put their phones away for the week.

Safety

Below are some further guidelines to ensure that Echoes remains safe and enjoyable:

• All minors must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian at all times. Anyone bringing a minor to Echoes in Time without that minor’s legal guardian will be sent home.
• Parents are responsible for their children when their children aren’t attending classes.
• Campfires are allowed in designated areas only.
• Alcohol consumption must be responsible and discreet.
• No drugs.
• Smoking must be in the designated smoking areas (next to the fire pits).
• No firearms.
• No fireworks.
• No drones. Raptors hate drones; they are not allowed. We may use our own for filming the event for a short duration on a single day.
• Some activities at Echoes (such as flintknapping and atlatl throwing) are potentially dangerous, so be alert and use your common sense.
• No dogs.

No Dogs

There are no dogs allowed at Echoes. This is a general rule for most ancestral skills gatherings. This is for the safety and security of everyone. Some instructors are allowed to bring their dogs but will camp separately in the “dog pound” far from the main camp.

Waiver

Registering implies that you understand and accept our waiver, which you will be asked to sign digitally.

What to Bring

Below is a list of items we suggest you consider bringing to fully enjoy your stay at Echoes:

• Cash for the $20 Parking Fee and any workshop materials fees, barter fare items, or raffle tickets you’d like to purchase—$100 to $200 is usually sufficient
• Items for the trade blanket
• Food (we provide breakfasts and dinners, but you’ll still need lunches and snacks)

• Larger Water Containers for your personal camp
• Water bottle
• Cooking and eating utensils
• Camp stove and kitchen gear
• First aid kit and other personal items, like allergy medicines, sting kits, etc.
• Tent or trailer
• Sleeping bag, ground cloth, pillow
• Toiletries, including sunscreen and insect repellent (expect mosquitoes at night)
• Flashlight/headlamp
• Camera
• Tools (instructors generally provide tools, but basic tools like a good knife will prove convenient)
• Drums and other musical instruments for around the campfire
• Clothes for all weather conditions, rain or shine
• Pencil and notebook
• Camp chair—a cozy seat will go a long way at Echoes!
• Swimsuit and towel

We recommend checking out this longer, more detailed and general camping list on the REI Website. This is Oregon, so it’s wise to be prepared for rain or sunshine, hot weather or cold. Some years the week has been blazing hot; others, relatively cool, and some even rainy. A coat will serve you well, especially during the nights when it cools off.

Work/Trade Program

Echoes offers a work/trade program in which students may be given a discounted registration fee in exchange for assistance in setting up camp and/or other tasks throughout the week. Work/Trade participants must pre-approve with organizers prior to registration. To apply for the work/trade program, please fill out the application on our registration page.

Schedule

Below is the general schedule for Echoes:

Daily Schedule (Monday–Friday)

8:00 am—Wake-up call

8:45 am—Breakfast

9:00 am—Morning meeting, class announcements

10:00 am—Classes begin

1:00 pm—Lunch break

2:00 pm—Classes resume

5:00 pm—Classes conclude for the day

6:00 pm—Dinner

7:00 pm—Evening activities begin

10:00 pm—Lights out/quiet time

Sunday:

Students may begin arriving at noon. Please do not arrive before that time.

Camping assignments, registration, and set-up

Student orientation at 7 pm, followed by class previews (instructor samples and sign-ups)

Monday:

Meet and Greet in the evening

Tuesday:

Special music from town by the campfire in the evening

Kid’s trade blanket in the evening

Wednesday:

Adult trade blanket in the evening

Thursday:

Barter fair in the afternoon

Costume and Mask Night

Friday:

Appreciations and gift-giving

Classes end at 4 pm.

Saturday:

We must be out of the camp by noon.