8:00am                      The First Circle

12:30pm                    Channeling Grief ~ Grief and Laughter ~ Finlay’s Garden

2:30pm                      Tea and Workshops

6:00pm                      Dinner

8:30am                      The Great Circle

9:00am                      Living Outside the Circle (Office Hours)

2:30pm                      Tea and Workshops

6:00pm                      Dinner

~ 8:30am – 9:30am: The Great Circle ~

8:30am – 9:00am: Traditional Sunrise Greeting – The Last Circle

 The Last Circle is once again our star, the Sun, for when it dies, it will take our entire solar system with it.  In ancient customs, humans often greeted the rising sun as a way to make offerings, request prayers, and encourage the continuous repetition of the Sun’s daily presence; however, there were and are still many other reasons unique to each individual culture.  You are invited to welcome the rising sun with me as I sing and smudge to the great Aŋpetu Wi (Sun Spirit) in my family’s Lakota traditions. You are welcome to bring your own traditions and join me.

9:00am – 9:30am: Inside the Circle: to Return or Join Anew

Once the grieving process is complete, there are two choices: return to the circle of family, relatives, friends, etc. that you originally forged, or find a new circle to move forward with the next chapter of your life.  These decisions can be challenging and life-altering.  You are welcome to join us for a brief discussion about moving on after grieving, followed by a short traditional Intertribal drum circle which you are invited to come and participate whether you have played on a drum before or not.

~ 9:30am – 11:00am: Presentations ~

9:30 am – 10:00am: PURE ART – Composing, Programming, &

Performing Cultural Art

Dr. William Linthicum-Blackhorse

A Major component of the Arts is bringing the experiences and trials of grieving to the audience in a way that not only expresses your understanding, but also helps them to explore their own. This lecture will explore some of the musical works that I have written and speeches given addressing the concepts of grief in my compositions.  We will also explore music composition in Native America on the topic of grief.

10:00am – 10:30am: Ficto-Criticism: Transmute Objects to Ancestors

Dr. Will Daddario

10:30am – 11:00am: Grief Ecotones Workshop

Dr. Joanne Zerdy

*Optional: Please bring a piece of paper (or a notebook) and a pencil or pen with you. If you wish, you could also have crayons, colored pencils, or markers on hand.

~ 2:00pm – 4:30pm: Tea and Workshops ~ 

2:00pm – 3:00pm: Herbal Tea Drinking and Conversation Circle

*Optional: You may wish to have a mug or glass of hot or iced tea with you for the session. Some herbs you might consider steeping into tea (or tisane): chamomile, rose, hibiscus, tulsi, lemon balm, linden, peppermint. Green or black tea works too!

3:00pm – 4:30pm: Seeds of Grief Improvisational Gardening

*Optional: Take some time ahead of this session to reflect on your experience with, and understanding of, grief. Write down some individual words, descriptive phrases, or symbols that come to mind-heart as you contemplate what grief means and does. Together, we’ll water the seeds of our individual and collective grief with our intention to produce meaning and connection from what has grown – or may grow – from them.