If you have visited our "Picture Shows" page you may have viewed the one called "Grounds". These pictures show the on going improvements to the property we call Chambers Farm or The Farm. We are constantly trying to make life easier and more enjoyable for all those who attend our gatherings but property improvement is not our only mission or purpose at Chambers. Our ultimate goal is to be able to offer a place where all people can come together throughout the entire year to teach, to learn and to heal. A place where schools can bring their children on field trips so that they may learn about the Native Culture through song and dance and stories. To be able to visit a TeePee, a Chickee, a Long House or a Wigwam, to experience what it was like to be a child before TV and computers. To play the same games, learn the same skills and even share the responsibility of Village life. The Native Culture was almost lost. The ability to live freely and in harmony with nature, to use natural resources to produce clothing, sewing "thread", rope and tools, all of the essentials required to survive. The term "survival skills" is often used to depict Native exisitence and many times conjures up a picture of a bleak life with death just around the corner but this is a false image. Native life was and still is today rich in family values and social structure. Children were not just the parents responsibility but the whole village took pride in raising the next generation. Art from thousands of years ago still amazes people today and modern Native American artists excel in their chosen field, there are authors, musicians, actors, painters and carvers some who specialize in reproducing the ancient styles using the same tools as did their ancestors while others have a stronger connection to the "Now" world. At times it is difficult for non-Native people to fully appreciate the nuances of the Native mind expressed through art. One of our goals is to help bridge that gap through education. By having a fuller comprehension of the Native culture and by creating an opportunity for the artists to speak openly and at length concerning their vision through art the gap narrows more and more until it finally disappears. Often we think of art as a painting or sculpture or a song however this is a narrow view. Have you ever tried to make a bow and arrow that could actually be used to hunt? Tried to stitch together tanned hides to make a shirt or actually cleaned, scraped and tanned a deer skin into wearable leather? Burned and scraped a log to produce a bowl or a canoe? Flattened and dyed porcupine quills to use as decorations? Believe me when I say that it is truly an art form to produce something that is both beautiful and useful. There are those who have devoted themselves to learning these skills and love to teach willing students for they know that all knowledge must be passed on or be lost. There is another form of art that has been intensely growing in this country: the art of healing through herbal medicines and prayer. It was not very long ago that Native Healers were refered to in a derogatory way, yet modern science is now recognizing both prayer and herbal remedies as being a true and potent method of non-invasive healing. Studies have been conducted by many Universities and hospitals with amazing positive results where prayer and/or herbs facilitated the healing process. It is no longer "folk lore" or "wives tales" or "superstition" when considering healing through the use of prayer and natural remedies. Native people have long known this and are willing to share their knowledge. So come be a part of our Family. Explore this site and learn how you can help this vision become a reality.