More Than 60 Participants Gathered to Learn Traditional Skills, Connect with Nature, and Strengthen Community Connections.
Written by Kira Gilliland, Changemaker Alum. Over the past couple of years, our Ancestral Skills Gathering has had a meaningful impact within our small community. This year, however, we wanted to make it even bigger and better. The 3rd Annual Cottonwood Ancestral Skills Gathering brought together people from across Colorado and beyond for a day of learning and community connections at Ollin Farms.
During the planning stages, we reached out to as many people as possible and shared information about the gathering far and wide, hoping to broaden our reach just a little more. After posting about the event, registration quickly skyrocketed. Early on, Ford, the Founder and Executive Director of Cottonwood Institute, had asked us what our maximum capacity would be, but we honestly did not think we would reach a point where space would become a concern.
Boy, were we wrong.
Before our outreach efforts, we had only 15 people signed up to participate. Afterwards, registration jumped to 105 people. We quickly realized we needed to find enough teachers and volunteers to support such a large gathering. While some of our instructors were local, others traveled from out of state, including California, to share their knowledge and skills with the community.
Now, you might be asking yourself: What exactly is an Ancestral Skills Gathering?
An Ancestral Skills Gathering is a yearly celebration centered around learning traditional skills, connecting with nature, and building community through hands-on experiences.
From the moment people arrived, bright smiles and laughter filled the air. Heavy gray clouds threatened a storm overhead, creating a chilly April morning, but that did not stop the excitement and energy throughout the day.
Since Ollin Farms hosts a farm stand every Saturday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., we began the morning with a variety of drop-in skills stations near the farm stand. Participants had the opportunity to explore knot tying and tarpology, cordage making, stone bead making, knife skills, flint and steel fire starting, drop spindle spinning, and foraging.
We continued these drop-in activities until around noon, when everyone took a break for lunch. A local food truck joined us for the day and provided delicious meals that helped everyone warm up and recharge before the afternoon sessions.
After lunch, we moved farther down the hill into the brush, away from the main road. Surrounded by trees and open space, it truly felt like we had stepped into a forest classroom. The setting gave everyone plenty of room to spread out and fully immerse themselves in the experience.
During the afternoon, participants chose two longer workshops, each lasting about two hours. The class offerings included mending, friction fire, shelter building, navigation, loom weaving, spoon carving, natural dyeing, fiber basket weaving, fermenting, forest bathing, foraging, wet felting, leatherworking, shepherd’s slings, tracking and awareness, and nature journaling.
Community members seemed to love every single class and wished they could attend even more. Many people shared how difficult it was to choose only two workshops because so many sounded exciting and meaningful.
One of our favorite moments from the closing circle came when a participant asked: “Next year, can we do a two-day gathering?” That simple question captured the spirit of the day perfectly.
“Next year, can we do a two-day gathering?”
– 2026 participant
The Cottonwood Ancestral Skills Gathering was an incredible opportunity to share knowledge, strengthen relationships, and bring people closer together through learning and connection with the natural world. Many people are searching for this kind of community in Colorado, and our goal is to continue breaking down barriers so that everyone can experience the joy of learning ancestral skills and deepening their relationship with the outdoors.
We are so grateful to everyone who attended, taught, volunteered, and supported this year’s gathering. We cannot wait to see how these community connections continue to grow in the years to come!
Thank you again to all the instructors and volunteers who made this event so successful:
Mark and Darla from Warp and Woolens, Jane from the Handweavers Guild of Boulder, Staci from FashionREBELution, Kira White from Boulder Forest Therapy, Linda at Bolder Felt, Henry from the Longmont Museum, Ken Wee, Chris Beacom (all the way from Austin!), Kristina McCurdy, Flora Wolf, Tony Zimmerman, Luke VanHorne, Ryan Copeland, and all the Changemakers, Alumni, and Cottonwood staff who taught classes and helped with everything!
Finally, this event would not be possible without a generous grant from Tony Grampsas Youth Services Program. This project has also been funded in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement 66.951 to the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education/Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does the EPA endorse trade names or recommend the use of any commercial products mentioned in this document.
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