Further Letters On Rainbow's Origins - Part III

....the birth of Rainbow ((was)) at Vortex I in 1970...if you've heard from others ((besides the writer, Rainbow Hawk, plus he mentions Jodey Bateman)) who were there I wouldn't mind having their, current addresses. Maybe Peter Blue Cloud ((would)) be a good source ... as the Rainbow Temple Family were some of the originators of Vortex I. Maybe some of the folks from the Brotherhood of Light ((could help))...(partially where the name Rainbow Family of Living Light evolved from). Or some of The Family Thing folks. And The Electric Circus folks, the Good Earth Commune, The Marble Mount Outlaws, etc.,...all of whom were parts of the first councils. ((Also)) the Sunnyvale Farm Commune and a fair number of folks from Takilma, the Mystic Arts Commune, Morning Star, Wheelers Ranch, etc.

The first council was about 450 folks and they were representative of just about every alternative group on the Coast, so it's kind of hard to remember them all, but those are some of the key-ones, Oh yea! The Clear Light Corncob folks too. Most of us did a big caravan leaving Vortex I (the first Rainbow Peace Caravan, but we didn't call it that then) over to the Sky River II Festival (on Maggies Farm). ...Actually ((as well as the group names not presently remembered)), you can't leave out the' Eagle Scouts, for their donation of the Rainbow Tipi Circle was the major reason we chose Rainbow...((as part of an umbrella name)).((, there were already 20,000-30,000 folks there who had all agreed (via an announcement from the stage and a huge cheer) that the whole West Coast alternative movement had decided to unite under the symbol of the Rainbow.

...The Rainbow Family/Tribes part reached an easy 100% agreement at Vortex I, but a number of folks had a hard time on the "of Living Light" part...but it passed by simple majority. Those objecting thought it a bit too pretentious and in many ways hipstory has proven them right. I've personally always preferred Warriors of the Rainbow ((per the Hopi(?) Indian prophecy, 'There will come a tribe of people from all cultures who believe in deeds, not words, and who will restore the earth to its former beauty. This tribe will be called Warriors of the Rainbow.')) and Rainbow Tribes (though Dart of the reason for the inclusion of "Family" came from two communities I was a part of). The Gathering of the Tribes part of the Gatherings name ((the full name being The Rainbow Family of Living Light Gathering of the Tribes and World Peace and Healing Celebration)) came from an event titled the Gathering of the Tribes in Golden Gate Park during the Summer of Love (1967) and with so many Bay Area folks involved with Rainbow from the get-go it was almost a foregone conclusion that that title would stick with , us forever (I wholeheartedly supported that one too). ...for the most part it's endless good news coming in and that's always a good energy boost and an inspiration to do more and better. Give everybody my love and hugs.

Meta Tontay ((Walk in Peace)), Rainbow Hawk.

This letter from Rainbow Hawk was included in the 1996 Rainbow Anthology.