Language of the Land 2018 Report
The Helper's Mentoring Society is dedicated to helping the modern, everyday person become more fully developed through the practice of traditional ceremonies and teachings. We offer online courses, literature, retreats, gatherings, and more to make this mission a reality. For more information about us, click here.
Its been a busy summer for us here at Helpers Mentoring Society. We’ve held live events and seminars around the world and we are still going! I’m actually writing this blog to you all from the airport on my way to the United Kingdom, and from there over to Europe.
As many of you know we hold an annual nature connection camp in South Dakota, USA. The event is called the Language of the Land. This camp is unique in all the work that we do for a number of reasons. The 1st is that the camp is meant to be a cultural exchange for the participants – for people of diverse backgrounds to meet and spend quality time with the Native American (Lakota) participants. It is an opportunity to interact with the people and also the culture, which is one of the richest in North America. People coming from the modern experiences have often heard about Native American cultures, and have even experienced cultural components, but this is an opportunity to be immersed in the natural environment with the people of this culture, elbow to elbow, as it’s said. This year the camp included people from the USA, the UK, Germany, Hawaii, Canada, and the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
It is also an opportunity for the Native American participants to camp, reconnect to the land, and remember this old relationship. It’s amazing to witness the ease in which they know nature, and even the survival/life skills that many modern people struggle to learn.
There is no fee for the Native American participants and we at Helpers Mentoring Society are dedicated to provide nature/cultural immersion and educational opportunities for Native American peoples. These cultures have deeply impacted the founder and employees of our organization and we are always looking for truly helpful ways to give back. Many people around the world support this venture, and for that we are deeply grateful!
I think there is massive value to everyone in the exchange between the groups of people. The people who have travelled from near and far get experiences and memories which will last a lifetime. The learning from these experiences will unfold for years to come. For the Native American participants they get a healthy dose of nourishing nature connection and they get to share some of their culture with people who really value it.
In July of this year we held the camp in the Black Hills of South Dakota, close to Sheridan Lake, at a private campground. The camp ran over 5 days and 31 people attended.
Events that were held included tracking, plant medicine, swimming, hiking, fire making, bow and arrow making, bird language, sensory awareness, the story of each day, songs, and gratitude. The weather was beautiful with warm days and cool nights and we were blessed with a wonderful thunderstorm. We were visited by Ospreys, Red Tail Hawks and a Bald Eagle. The children tracked the deer lays throughout the little grass valley next to the campground. All of the campers enjoyed the beach and swimming every day. We held a community camp fire every night and were serenaded with many songs.
We’ve held the camp in the Black Hills of South Dakota for the past few years at different locations. Each year we’ve struggled to find a location which can accommodate all the activities of the camp. In the last couple of months we have been blessed with a new opportunity to purchase our own land base! The land is an ideal size and location, with the necessary utilities and structures to host this camp and many of the other courses offered by Helpers Mentoring Society. We are excited to move this opportunity into reality, but we may need your help. Stay tuned for more information and ways that you can get involved and invest in a project that will transform many lives, including your own.
