Friday, November 3rd: 7:00pm-9:00pm
Saturday, November 4th: 12:00pm-5:00pm
Featuring: Sacred Cacao Ceremony with Maestro Manuel Rufino, Traditional Dances and Ways with representatives from the 6 nations and Akwesasne Freedom School, guest performance by Teresa Bear, presentation and mushroom workshop from Flowering Sun Ecology Center, music with Dream Seed, delicious vegan food for purchase by Jungle Cafe, and updates and vision with Root to Heaven and some very special guests!
For the last three years, Root to Heaven has had the pleasure of collaborating with Akwesasne Freedom School and different members of Akwesasne near the border of Canada and New York State. Alongside both of our communities, we have planned and planted hundreds of thousands of trees, shrubs, and seeds to create food forests, strengthen biodiversity, and regenerate soil.
This past spring Root to Heaven entered into a years-long massive ecological rehabilitation and educational collaboration with AFS and reforested a meadow where the new Akwesasne Freedom School has been built. Because of clear-cutting, mono-cropping, and industrial farm practices, the project requires a huge overhaul with different layers of ecology being re-established over time.
Good Seed is a fundraiser dedicated to keeping our work going with AFS and in some of the other places that Root to Heaven is planting. Our goal is to raise $5,000 to continue our work with AFS and begin similar projects on two other continents in 2024. We aim to offer 1,000,000 prayers to the earth this year, including seeds, shrubs, food plants, and trees.
Including:
- Sacred Cacao Ceremony and seed teachings with Maestro Manuel Rufino
- An opening address, short presentation of the history of the school and who we are today, the project, a social dance/smoke dance demonstration, and a Closing address with members of 6 Nations and Akwesasne Freedom School
- Music from Dream Seed, Teresa Bear & Other Special Guests
- Presentation on Mycology and a mushroom block workshop with Flowering Sun Ecology
- Update from Santorum Ecovillage
- Root to Heaven presentation on upcoming projects and goals.
- 100% Vegan Kosher Food Available for sale from Jungle Cafe
- Crafts for sale from Mohawk Nation
- And More!
Suggested Minimum Donation: $40. Larger donations are gratefully accepted via the second registration button. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Contact us for assistance.
Maestro Manuel Rufino
Maestro Manuel Rufino is an artist, yogi, vegetarian chef, nutritionist, martial artist and healer. He is the World Director of the Movement of American Indian Solar Culture, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to serving the community by focusing on sharing Amerikua Wisdom, founded by his teacher, Maestro Domingo Dias Porta. He is the founder of the Jungle Café and has established and founded communities and cultural centers in Europe, North, Central and South America including the Heart & Mind Festival, the Golden Drum, and the 501(c)(3) Sacred Arts Research Foundation.
Nicole Adriana Casanova
Nicole Adriana Casanova is a Boriken born student of Maestro Manuel Rufino. She is a disciple of initiation and the intertribal tradition. She is a servant to the Earth, Great Spirit, and Humanity.
Akwesasne Freedom School
Akwesasne Freedom School: The Akwesasne Freedom School was founded in 1979 in a grass-roots effort by the Mohawk tribe. The Akwesasne Freedom school is located in St. Regis Mohawk Reservation, New York. It was founded with the intention of strengthening the Mohawk culture which was once in danger of being extinct.
Jasmine Jimmerson
Jasmine Jimmerson: Jasmine Jimerson (Teyútkwʌ) and Levi Herne (Tehonwenhniseráthe) were both born into families who prioritized their traditional knowledge by providing an environment for learning their traditional language and culture to maintain relationships with the natural world. Growing up, Jasmine was homeschooled amongst the remaining knowledge holders within her community. Simularily, Levi was taught by elders within his community and graduated from the Akwesasne Freedom School. Through their unique educational experiences, Jasmine and Levi developed a passion for utilizing traditional practices for growing and harvesting indigenous foods, plants, and trees. Their efforts to learn and share the knowledge passed down by their elders, and ancestors is how they continue their responsibilities as Onkwehón:we (Original People).
Johnson Jimerson
Johnson Jimerson, Akwesasne Freedom School Culture teacher & Akwesasne Freedom School students ‘earth song’ singers and dancers. Johnson is of the Seneca Nation, hawk clan. He is a well known Haudenosaunee singer, and champion Smoke Dancer who has traveled all over Turtle Island and overseas sharing earth songs and dances.
Teresa Bear
“I always loved music, and I realized later that I had a gift for songwriting around the age of 29. When I look back and think about it, I always had this beautiful gift, but I didn’t realize what I had. I remember when I was riding the bus to school I could hear music coming to me. I look around and there was no radio playing. It was a melody coming that only I could hear. So I would hum the melody I was hearing. As I got older, I first began writing songs that were in Mohawk for our Traditional Women’s singing group called, ‘Kontiwennenhawi’, (Carriers of the Words). In 2001 my family had a house fire. After this house fire, my family was going through tough times trying to pay bills and trying to put money aside to build a house. One day, I got the idea that I should try and write songs in English. I can write songs in Mohawk maybe I can write songs in English too. The first song that I wrote in English was, ‘Broken.’ The second song that came to me to write was called, ‘Rich Girl.’ So, these are the beginnings of songwriting and singing for me. I began making CDs, and it helps to have them to make ends meet.
When I write a song, I run it by my family first. I have five children; I have one girl and four boys. I remember when I sang them ‘Rich Girl’ for the first time—my kids loved it. It made my daughter cry.”
Joey Greiner
Joey Greiner has been moving dancefloors for over 15 years in his native NYC, across the US & Europe. He weaves deep and funky grooves with Afro and Latin rhythms to lead you on a journey into your most primal instincts to move your body.
Dream Seed
Dream Seed is a shamanic sound ensemble hosted by members of Golden Drum, Didge Project, and Sacred Arts Research Foundation. Shamanic chanting, mantras, overtone singing, Native American songs, indigenous music, didgeridoos, crystal singing bowls, bells, gongs, harmoniums, tuning forks and other overtone-emitting instruments are used to create an environment conducive to deep relaxation and inward investigation. Participants are led through guided meditations and sound healing practices designed to harmonize body, mind and spirit.
Root To Heaven
Founded in late 2020, the mission of Root to Heaven is to work alongside communities, municipalities, individuals, and trusts to plant 1,000,000 indigenous plants. In 2023, Root to Heaven accomplished this mission and continues to research and support ecological rehabilitation all over the world. By doing this Root to Heaven hopes to become a trusted leader in regenerative culture and an internationally recognized and trusted organization for humanitarian-centered and climate solutions.
Flowering Sun Ecology Center
Flowering Sun Ecology Center was born out of a communal vision to offer our family and community beyond organic nutrient dense food grown in harmony with the Earth. We are a land based organization with our hands in the soil and our eyes on the stars. We believe that working in cooperation with the land is the best way to learn and continually improve our growing practices. As such, our land is the experimental grounds for the creation of future offerings and educational research.