Full Moon Gathering of April 2011: Olor Ni

Olor Ni (April) in Kuna language means the month or moon (Ni) when many cicadas sing announcing the beginning of the rainy season.

After lots of phone calls and a crash course in logistics of events in Kuna Yala, we had our first Full Moon Gathering on Banedup, a gorgeous island surrounded by several others and the warm Caribbean sea with palm trees, white sand and a grass hut bar.
Getting the rig and performers there was epic, eventually after trying every avenue available all of which involved spending more money than we could possibly hope to collect through donations, Oliver a friendly skipper stepped in and sailed us there on his yacht Esmeralda. We arrived in paradise, following a channel through the coral reefs into the still waters of the archipelagos. Hundreds of tiny islands surrounded us, fishermen in dugouts paddled by. It was as if we had sailed back in time. We looked to each other excited. Wow!

In Banedup the Kunas were waiting for us: Tony, Blas, Marlon, Leisa, Uskuin, Canabis, Nali, Mateo, Raul and more. From the very beginning we felt absolutely at home ... especially little Ocean, who loved it there. This one was going to be an important event, since it was also our first meeting with the Kuna indians
That night the moon rose over the sea behind the DJ hut and got everyones attention. A potent symbol and in Kuna Yala often met with the lighting of fires. This night the fires were accompanied by psychedelic music. The party was on and everyone was dancing.

Finally, after extending our original schedule for another week the Gathering and the music finished. A couple of hundred people had come to the island and enjoyed the magical combination of breathtaking natural landscapes and beautiful inspiring music.
We are extremely privileged to have been allowed to celebrate that full moon in the Kuna Yala, there was an amazing connection between our tribes and many ideas for the future have been put on the table.