The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Vinotok invites you to experience “Walking the Way: A Vinotok Pilgrimage” and visit the spectacular Altars of Vinotok. Learn about Vinotok archetypes. Engage with the activities at each Altar. Leave an offering. Whether you anticipate them with the approaching festival or encounter one for the first time, the Altars stop you in your tracks and beg for your attention. Lovingly and painstakingly crafted by Vinotok tribe members and volunteers, Vinotok welcomes you to the changing of the seasons.
The Altars of Vinotok will be fully installed by Sunday, September 14 and will start disappearing on Sunday, September 21. You may see artists and volunteers out and about building the Altars, but please feel free to engage with the Altars when you see one. Altar Maps may be found at each Altar. Information, a map, and more are at vinotok.org “Altars” tab.
As a celebrant of nature, Vinotok strives to preserve the wildness of our lands and asks you to adhere to the following practices when leaving an offering at an Altar.
Yes, Please.
Leave a natural object, something found in nature or created from the earth (i.e., nothing human-made).
Walk in nature and find things you would like to offer back to the land.
Leave natural wildflowers in the wild. Instead, purchase wildflowers from a local florist. Or use flowers from your garden.
Tie small bundles of dried flowers, grasses, or leaves. And please shake out the seed pods to release the seeds on the ground so they may do their thing.
Garden items, like small herb bundles tied with grass, could be used.
Be respectful when collecting from nature. Watch your step and collect a little bit from here and there.
Grasses, leaves, or sage tied in bundles and harvested respectfully can be appropriate live items.
No, Thank You.
No flammable items like candles, incense, burning sage, etc.
No freshly picked wildflowers from the wild.
No food or items that attract critters.
No paper or other items that can fly away with the wind.
Do not collect too much from any one place.
No living items, such as flowers, moss, mushrooms, and the like.
No noxious or invasive plants. Visit Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory’s or the US Forest Service’s websites for lists and pictures.
All offerings will be collected on Saturday, September 20 in the morning and be disposed of honorably.
Happy Autumn Equinox!
