Coping with and recovering from illness, injury, and debility has always been part of being human.  And for these complaints, plants have served as the major source of medicine.  This class will examine the use of wild plants, fungi, and lichens for healing sickness and injury and supporting the body.

We are co-hosting the a combined gathering this year! It will be held in Upton, ME. We will be bringing back past classes and adding more!

This hands-on class is designed for those with an interest in self-sufficiency, human health, and a deeper relationship with plants.

Foraging provides many avenues of connection with nature and fosters a greater appreciation of the many things that local landscapes can provide for us.  It has become increasingly clear through many independent studies that diets rich in wild foods promote health and defend the body from many of the debilitating ailments that plague modern societies (e.g., cancer, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, coronary disease, periodontal disease).

Students should expect to spend much of the weekend outside identifying, collecting, and preparing wild plants for food (so be prepared for weather and uneven terrain).  Class will focus on gathering plant foods and medicines that are appropriate for the season (leaves, shoots, bulbs, rhizomes).  Throughout the class, simple tools will be used and reference will be made to primitive and contemporary methods of processing plants.  As well, wildcrafted medicine and utilitarian plants will be discussed to provide a more holistic understanding of how plants can positively affect our lives.  Wild nutrition is both a link to the past and a gateway to a sustainable future.

This class will be taught by Arthur Haines and will be offered at the Delta Institute of Natural History in Canton, ME (click here if you need directions).  All meals are included for the weekend. They are entirely organic/pastured and wild. Expect omnivorous fare with a balanced mix of plant and animal offerings, some lactofermented vegetables, and raw dairy.

Some locations will be visited off site so please be prepared to carpool short distances from the property.  Bring footwear for uneven ground, and proper clothing for whatever the weather may be on that day. Camping is available on site.

Price is $395.00 and class is limited to 12 students.

This three-day primitive skills gathering will be held from 27-30 July 2023 at our land here in Canton, ME.

This hands-on class is designed for those with an interest in self-sufficiency, human health, and a deeper relationship with plants.

Foraging provides many avenues of connection with nature and fosters a greater appreciation of the many things that local landscapes can provide for us.  It has become increasingly clear through many independent studies that diets rich in wild foods promote health and defend the body from many of the debilitating ailments that plague modern societies (e.g., cancer, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, coronary disease, periodontal disease).

Students should expect to spend much of the weekend outside identifying, collecting, and preparing wild plants for food (so be prepared for weather and uneven terrain).  Class will focus on gathering plant foods and medicines that are appropriate for the season (leaves, shoots, bulbs, rhizomes).  Throughout the class, simple tools will be used and reference will be made to primitive and contemporary methods of processing plants.  As well, wildcrafted medicine and utilitarian plants will be discussed to provide a more holistic understanding of how plants can positively affect our lives.  Wild nutrition is both a link to the past and a gateway to a sustainable future.

This class will be taught by Arthur Haines and will be offered at Wilder Waters Community in Canton, ME (click here if you need directions).  All food will be included and prepared by Nezinscot Organic Farm and Cafe.  Expect local, wild, and/or organic food offerings from the four food kingdoms prepared in a traditional manner (i.e., a Weston Price-inspired menu).

Some locations will be visited off site so please be prepared to carpool short distances from the property.  Bring footwear for uneven ground, and proper clothing for whatever the weather may be on that day. Camping is available on site.

Price is $395.00 and class is limited to 12 students.

Class begins at 6:00 pm on Friday and ends at 12:00 pm on Sunday.

Sign up HERE.

Coping with and recovering from illness, injury, and debility has always been part of being human.  And for these complaints, plants have served as the major source of medicine.

This class will examine the use of wild plants, fungi, and lichens for healing sickness and injury and supporting the body. Students will learn a suite of species that grow in New England that can be used for many common ailments, such as colds, infections, gastrointestinal upset, headaches, dermatitis, insomnia, etc.  The species discussed on this day will mainly be those that have modern study corroborating indigenous use.  Methods of collecting will be discussed, as well as directions for making various types of medicine (e.g., infusions, decoctions, poultices, tinctures, double extractions).  A double extraction of a wild-collected mushroom (such as chaga, hemlock reishi, or turkeytail) will be prepared during this class and students will leave with this medicine that can be used for bolstering immune system function, as a powerful antioxidant, killing viral pathogens, and fighting cancer.  Throughout the day, stories and examples will be shared demonstrating how plant-based medicines have preserved life and influenced aboriginal and contemporary people.

Healing with plants provides people and families with another avenue of self-sufficiency and furthers connection to the landscape.  The class will be taught by Arthur Haines (who personally uses plants, fungi, and lichens for all medicinal needs).  Class will be offered at Wilder Waters Community in Canton, ME and run from 6:00 pm Friday to approximately 12:00 pm Sunday.  All food will be included and prepared by Chef Frank Giglio.  Expect local, wild, and/or organic food offerings from the four food kingdoms prepared in a traditional manner (i.e., a Weston Price-inspired menu).  Some locations may be visited off site so please be prepared to carpool short distances from the property.  Bring footwear for uneven ground, and proper clothing for whatever the weather may be on that day.  Camping is available on site.

Price is $395.00 and class is limited to 12 students.

Class begins at 6:00 pm on Friday and ends at 12:00 pm on Sunday.

Go HERE to sign up.

For over 300,000 years, Homo sapiens has practiced place-based technologies that have allowed them to live as integral parts of their landscapes.  These skills gave humans true sovereignty because they were not dependent on growers, manufacturers, and retailers.  Importantly, these are a set of practices that are documented as being the least impactful manner of interaction with the planet (i.e., primitive technologies are the most sustainable lifeways ever witnessed).  Given that everyone alive today has hunter-gatherer ancestors, the practice of ancestral skills is part of all people's heritage.

Join Arthur Haines for four days of recovering our ancestor's ways of being.  You will be exposed to a broad array of nature-based technologies, including shelter, friction fire, primitive cooking, fiber arts, container manufacture, edible and medicinal plants, tracking, nature observation, trapping, and hunting weapons.  Where possible, students will be approached individually in order to further their skill set (i.e., those who have previous exposure to primitive living skills will be advanced beyond introductory material).  Time will be allotted for discussion of topics central to human rewilding, especially the relevance of ancestral lifeways in today's world.

Students should expect to spend much of the weekend outside, including time roaming the landscape (so be prepared for weather and uneven terrain).  This class will be taught by Arthur Haines and will be offered at the Delta Institute of Natural History in Canton, ME (click here if you need directions).  All food will be included and prepared by Chef Frank Giglio.  Expect local, wild, and/or organic food offerings from the four food kingdoms prepared in a traditional manner (i.e., a Weston Price-inspired menu).

Bring footwear for uneven ground, and proper clothing for whatever the weather may be on that day. Camping is available on site.

Price is $500.00 and class is limited to 12 students.

Class begins at 6:00 pm on Thursday and ends at 12:00 pm on Sunday.

*****This class is full and registrations are no longer being accepted.  To join the waiting list, please use the contact link in the upper right portion of the page.*****

The Dawnland Gathering will remind people of their ancestral way of being. Our ancestral lineage interacted with their landscape through methods of hunting, gathering, cooking, and a number of other skills. In these daily activities, the people formed deep relationships with the land based on reciprocity rather than extraction. These indigenous ways of living were the most eco-conscientious life-ways ever practiced on our planet, in which the land provided and the people protected the land in which their ancestors resided. We aim to instill these lost connections in our gathering attendees.