At the time of the Changeover there were more than 1200 people living on The Farm and the breakdown of the communal economy caused the dispersal of hundreds far and wide.

But what has endured so many decades later goes beyond friendship.

Dictionaries define the word “tribe” as people with a common culture or character, a social structure that establishes links between families.” The Farm went beyond the hippie subculture to become a unique social experiment that created emotional bonds which remain alive in all who have been touched by their common connection.

It spans through multiple generations woven ever more tightly by the cross pollination of families through second generation marriages and subsequent grandchildren. In seeking ways to define these relationships the word “tribe” comes closest. Understanding The Farm as a tribe takes in both the strengths and the dysfunctional weaknesses that exist within families and tribal communities, recognizing that the relationships go beyond random even in their imperfection.

In that sense The Farm Community is seen by its tribe as the reservation, the sacred land which symbolizes the greater whole. The land serves as a unifying vessel which holds the memories, the dreams, and the energy of everything that has taken place within its boundaries.

And like the tribes of Indigenous people throughout the world the vast majority may never live on that land, yet they still are part of that common essence which links them to something larger than their immediate family. It also takes in the idea that there are people who share the same values and may be considered members of the tribe who have no immediate connection to The Farm, distant clans with their own set of experiences and circles of community.

With the sixties experience now fading into the distance, what core values will persevere? As The Farm’s communal period recedes farther into its own historical perspective and as its founding generation departs from this plane of reality, the question remains open. Can this tribe survive the outside and internal pressures that challenge its existence, beyond the founding generation? Will the subsequent generations be able to maintain and forge new bonds that have kept the community intact throughout the previous decades of its history? Only time will tell.

Thank you for your time and attention!
Douglas@thefarmcommunity.com

Sustainable Life Retreats Calendar