Sitting Tree launched our first children’s programs with two summer camps for kids aged 5 to 10. None of us expected the the adventures that came our way: especially an honoured elder guest all the way from Africa!
Week one at camp was all about homes and habitats. It turned out that right beside our school there lived a mysterious man named hermit the crab.
No one could really tell if hermit was a man or an animal. He always wore a large white pail on his head, rolled up jeans, rubber boots, and a voice like a crow! He was very silly and walked quite low with his knees always bent.
Well hermit the crab was very crabby when we first met the children. He was upset about all the yelling and carrying on that was happening right beside his home! Mr. Crab was very upset and asked everyone to leave the forest! Mr. Crab said that none of our Sitting Tree kids belonged in the forest because they don’t live there and will bother all the beings that do live in the forest.
To his dismay the children of Sitting Tree took his crabby kick-out as a challenge. “We will find our own forest home Mr. Crab” they children yelled enthusiastically “and we will become people of the forest!”
Mr. Crab did not believe the children could do it. He said city kids would not last in the woods and they would beg to leave before the end of the day, and off he scampered into the woods making his loud, obnoxious crow like call.
The children gathered into their clans and struck off into the woods to scout out for a good home.
That is basically how Sitting Tree started.
The rest of the week was a journey for the children as the forest became their home. As with most human encampments war broke out quickly. Two neighbouring clans spent days raiding and being completely distrusting of each other. The war was intense and consumed the children so much that they could not enjoy their home in the woods. The was no Peace for anyone, that is until Sitting Tree found its own Peacemaker in a member of the Owl clan.
The Peacemaker came with an old ash stick held high while slowly approaching the Heron clan. The Peacemaker proposed a great peace between the clans, all weapons would be destroyed, and the clans would become sister clans like a family and we would share clan homes. The peace stick went around to every child who spoke on the subject. Then both clans came to full consensus on the Great Peace.
The peace was brought back to all of Sitting Tree and the Peace stick was honoured and decorated by the Peacemaker. All of the clans accepted the Peace and all the children came together and sang.
Mr. Crab was stunned. He came from the woods with his drum and joined in the song. There were tears in his eyes as he thought no children would ever love the woods again, he thought they would always fight and never come together in song and dance. But this is not what happened, the children did love their new homes, the children had struck a Peace, and the children were able to sing and dance together. Mr. Crab joined in the celebration. He danced, he sang, and he smiled.
Summer Camps spread Peace around the world!
Then news spread across all of Sitting Tree that a great Peacemaker elder all the way from Africa was going to join us. His name was Mandaza and he took Peace all around the world. Everyone was excited. Our Sitting Tree Peacemaker was so excited he spent the entire afternoon on the porch watching and waiting for Mandaza.
When Mandaza finally arrived he greeted all the children one by one. He joined our circle and joined in our song and dance, he watched us present our play about how the world was made and he listened to our Peacemaker tell the story of the Great Peace at Sitting Tree.
Then he sat in silence.
Mandaza spoke. He told us that these were the children he had been looking for and this was the song he was looking for. He said it was the children who were the wise ones and that it is for him and the leaders to learn from the children who learn from the woods.
Mandaza loved us. He recorded our song so he could take it around the world and play it for people. We were all so proud that we sang our hearts out, even Mr. Crab joined in while we all celebrated the joy of being alive.
Now Mandaza still travels around the world and wherever he goes he plays for people our little Sitting Tree song.
