To honor the soul transition of Chumash teacher and healer Cecilia Garcia, we share an article written by her and USC Professor Jim Adams on mind, body and spirit healing.
Rituals and Traditions
WilderUtopia celebrates world culture with a frame of environmental sustainability. Our inspiration sources from ethnically-based indigenous arts, myth and storytelling, as well as dance and music, played out in the rituals, customs, and traditions of the many peoples of the planet.
Mythology of the Crow: Love Trials of the Magic Buffalo Wife
An Apsáalooke Crow man falls in love and has a child with the magical Buffalo Woman, which requires him to prove his love and devotion to her and her Buffalo Nation.
Caribbean Garífuna: Masked Warriors Dance into the New Year
The masked dance ritual called Wanaragua, takes place as part of the New Year’s celebration among the Garífuna villages on the Caribbean Coast of Central America.
Aboriginal Dreamtime: The Rainbow Serpent
The Aboriginal Australian Rainbow Serpent meanders snake-like like a river across the landscape, sunlight reflecting the spectrum of colours. He inhabits permanent waterholes and controls precious oils and waters.
Papua New Guinea: Sepik River Initiation and the Crocodile Cult
Crocodiles feature in the legends and rites of passage of various Sepik tribes, sharing a belief in ancestral ties to the aquatic reptile. Risks from mining in the upper river threatens the health of the people of the basin.
Chumash Stories: Julie Tumamait-Stenslie Speaks at Ojai
Video: Chumash elder and storyteller Julie Tumamait Stenslie told myths and legends from her Ventureno Chumash tradition at the Ojai Foundation.
Soyal Ceremony: Hopi Kachinas Dance at Winter Solstice
The Soyal Ceremony begins on the shortest day of the year, and symbolizes the second phase of Creation at the Dawn of Life. Its prayers and rituals implement a plan of life for the coming year, ceremonially turning back the sun toward its summer path.