Who or what are the Rainbow People?

[spinbaby]

I'm in western Pennsylvania where we have close ties to West Virginia. We're beginning to hear tales from friends and family down there that a group of nomads called the Rainbow People or the Rainbow Family is taking over the parklands. They're very nervous about this down in Pickens.

A google news search has turned up only this:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-rainbow-family,1,5996507.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines

I've had very little luck on line finding out anything about these people. Anyone know anything?

[Moochy]

1. Somewhere (mid-atlantic bio-region) over the rainbow

Info on this years Gathering
The 2005 Rainbow Gathering will be in the "greater mid-Atlantic bio-region" (whatever that means). This link contains all the information I have on the 2004 Rainbow Gathering Vision Council Consensus from California. Just as a note, directions won't be announced until mid June, after Spring Council. So check here for directions then. What little info I have is collected on this page.

from http://www.welcomehome.org/rainbow.html

[flvegan]

I think that this might help

http://www.spiritwatch.org/rainbows.htm

[Mizmoon]

2. I used to hang out with the Rainbow Family

they're a lot of fun if you open your mind.

How to describe them? They have encampments where people can come and stay. They give away free food and water. Last time I went there was a man washing people's feet. There's dope galore. It is NOT for fake hippes like me, though. I kept wishing someone would give the children in the children's encampment a bath - they were filthy. It's for letting go of the world.

[mike_c]

3. hippies, deadheads, and such....

The modern gypsy counter culture, mostly peaceful folk who've turned their backs on Babylon, so to speak. My area is a major stopping point on the western Rainbow migration route. I like most of them a lot.

[Trigger Hippie]

4. Argh

When I heard about them, I was on a cross country road trip stopping in central Oregon. They were having a vernal equinox celebration at a local campground. At the time, I was quite the little hippy and wanted to hang out and see what the deal was. The group seemed to be divided into two parts, old-school hippies who were actually in the '60s and still seemed to follow the old "peace love" routine, and young, college age ones who just wanted to bum around. I got a bad feeling from the young ones. I turned out to be right because that night they stole all the gas out of my van. It was snowing and my then-boyfriend and I could have easily been stranded in the mountains for god knows how long. But we managed to get to a snobby ski resort where we could buy gas and were saved. To this day, I still hold a grudge to these people, one of whose main tenet is "share and share alike". Not fucking steal and steal alike. Just to let you know it's not just me, a friend of mine got her bag stolen at one of these gatherings twice.

:hi:

[Moochy]

5. Feral Hippies!!

Feral hippie brood can be pretty dangerous, didnt you see the Road Warrior? the little furry kid with the boomerang grew up in a Rainbow Family camp.

[Trigger Hippie]

7. No way,

I did not know that. :)

:hi:

[Moochy]

9. Yes way, here's proof

feral hippies on the march..
:hippie:

[spinbaby]

6. Sadly, that's what they're reporting down in WV

Lots of petty crime and shoplifting going on.

Are these people full-time nomads, do you know, or do they just do this in the summer, or what?

[Trigger Hippie]

11. I think most of them are

full time. If you're not full time, they think you're not "one of them". That's my theory on why they stole our gas. I guess that makes it OK to rip people off who are not in the fold.

[Stanchetalarooni]

8. 1986 Rainbow Gathering in the Alleghenies

Also in the late 90s. Lots of similar minded peoples meeting in Natl. Forest for celebrations of Life, Spirit, Community.
My wife and I attended in 1986 and had an awesome experience. Loosening of normative 'straight' boundries was the task as people were overtly friendly and hospitible. Communal kitchens were erected throughout the forest, people danced and walked about naked without reprise, no curfew as the drummers drummed all night until dawn, painted faces, muddy feet, new aromas to get acquainted wih emmanating from unwashed bodies, sharing, trading, wondering, reacquainting with Mother Earth.

[Heidi]

10. tribe.net

I've known some of the Rainbow people, and haven't found any of them to be dangerous or bad folks.

Here, read this: http://therainbowfamilytribe.tribe.net/?r=10535