Beyond Babywearing Part 2
way that helps them meet existing wants and
needs. For instance, you might volunteer to set
up a program to help your organization’s singleparent families network with and support each
other.
We accidentally experienced tribe for about 2
days. We had this gathering in my hometown,
To some, the ultimate in modern tribe building Portland OR. People had different travel schedmay well be to start an intentional community ules, and a number of people got there a few
days before the big meeting. They camped out
based on Continuum and other natural livin our yard and we kind of had this village we
ing concepts. However, a quick search reveals
very few existing intentional communities that created in our yard, and we were all just waitopenly base their values on Continuum ideals. ing and very optimistic. So we actually had
this tribal experience, and I can only say it was
(Heart-Culture Farm near Eugene, OR is one.)
glorious. It was just wonderful, the feeling of
this expanded social circle where everyone is
Why is this? Surely, there are enough families
just sort of flowing together. The children had
interested in following an attachment parenting all these choices (of playmates.) They could play
lifestyle to warrant a larger number of commu- with one and when they were done they could
nities specifically designed to support it?
play with another and if a child’s mom needed a
Could it be that the very concept of an “intenbreak there was someone there to attend to the
tional” community (at least, as most of us are
child. And we were living that way for a couple
likely to think of it) is alien to a Continuum
of days while we were waiting for this meeting.”
worldview? After all, Liedloff herself noted that
the Yequana people were highly reluctant to
Then the meeting happened and everyone
brought their agendas with them, and their
sway anyone else’s opinion or influence their
behavior. Yet most intentional communities are particular attachments that things had to be a
very specific as to what is and is not acceptable certain way, and we started to lose some of that
being in the moment with each other. Now it
behavior.
had to be right vs wrong…
Noelle recounts a personal intentional community experience which may shed some light We might have weathered that, but I think ultimately a lot of us were recovering our humanity.
on this question:
The thing about community movements, is that
people are attracted to communities because
“The internet was making people more aware,
they’re failing in some way. I don’t mean that as
and some people began discussing the idea of
having a com