Corroboree is a word that we don’t often enough hear. It’s an Australian term for a rowdy gathering or meet up. Its true meaning, though, is far more complex. Not only does it include physically bringing people together from different areas, but the meeting of minds, ideas, and philosophies to promote social and spiritual growth.
Nik writing this week, to bring you affirmation that, yes, communities need corroboree—be it festivals, block parties, quinceañeras, or an all-singing/all-dancing/
After a listless, rainy morning (the kind where everyone is content with the lazy grayness) four teams of four contestants each dragged each other, kicking and singing, to go have some fun! After the first round of song and dance stylings, the whole Casa de Cultura was in it for the long, happy haul.
A bevy of talented mermaids, voices, artists, and noses…yes, noses…all represented. For such a closely-knit community, some hold their cards very close to their chests. Who knew a nasal-flautist/contortionist was in our midst?
An Iron Chef-inspired cooking competition was underway next, utilizing the mystery ingredient: Chia seed! For anyone fortunate enough to have not had the…pleasure…to dine on the snotty, yet subtly crunchy, coagulant taste sensation that is chia seed, be glad to have not been in the judges’ box. That said, the dishes were creative, beautifully plated, and (dare I say it) even tasty. No doubt, years of needing to become culinary alchemists to feed others on a sometimes-vegan, sometimes-gluten-free, sometimes-raw, sometimes-paleo, foraged, local, and seasonal diet of many hungry rabbits and visitors, has made for many scrappy and capable cooks.
Lastly, in true ecovillage style, there was a natural building competition. Using only cob (the muddy and durable building material of straw, sand, and…mud) and any other natural-found materials, teams built fairy houses. The tiny house movement had nothing on these abodes. Flowers, branches, reeds, sticks, skulls, all were constructed into beautiful fairy-sized dwellings. There was a brief “parade of homes” and then the victors were crowned. The day was theirs.
And just the day before, a spelling bee for adults was put on. My face still hurts days later from the laughter.
To me, seems that as the village hosts visitors and guests, we put a lot of energy and excitement into those duties, and as the latest visitor session ended early, we had a lot of extra energy with no place to go…I, for one, am glad it went into fun and corroboree.
The tail end of that energy could still be caught, because we have one more (one week) visitor session in July! Visit the website for more info on signing up to see the village, learn techniques, see life work here, and eat your weight in chia seeds! (Maybe not that last one…)
Just like anywhere, life here isn’t always fun and easy, but when we come together for the sake of gathering minds, talent, and creativity, I find that there is no place like it. Hours and days and weeks of hard work on the behalf of many community members go into governance, policy writing, volunteer work, economics, and infrastructure, and that has made Dancing Rabbit run smoothly as a village and an entity. But truly it’s the hours of time we take to connect with one another that make us laugh until our faces hurt, hug, sing, and also connect by communicating difficult truths, that really keeps a village going. To create community, create corroboree.
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Please note! As Nik mentions, there are just a few spots left in our upcoming 1-week visitor program, July 14 – 21. If you’ve been wanting to visit Dancing Rabbit, now is your chance! Email us at dancingrabbit@ic.org to request an application!
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Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is an intentional community and nonprofit outside Rutledge, in northeast Missouri, focused on demonstrating sustainable living possibilities. Find out more about us by visiting our website, reading our blog, or emailing us.