Ancestral Skills Gathering

August 20-23, 2025

We invite you to join us for a weekend of sharing skills and learning new ones, shared meals, social time, music, storytelling, folk dancing and more! Other skill instruction that may be included are:

Ancient fire-making skills
Flint knapping, arrowheads and tools
Atlatl making and throwing
Cordage: Harvesting fiber from natural materials, and making cord & string
Hide work and bead work
Willow structures and basketry
Knife safety skills and notching techniques
Techniques for snares
Ancestral Scales: Music intervals and singing in and with Nature
Planetary Rhythms: Sky map study prior to stargazing evenings
Wild plant walks: Id, uses and harvest
Felting and drop spindle spinning
Check back for updates on more!

A limited number of discounted tickets may be offered, based on need, via our Work Exchange Program. If you can come and teach skills and/or help with setting up, daily tasks, take down, etc.and would like a discounted fee in exchange for your work, you may Inquire About Work Exchange.

Camping is available and participants traveling from a distance are encouraged to arrive on August 19 to set up camp.

Click HERE for Guidelines and Tips for a Successful Ancestral Skills Gathering!

See the map of Meadowlark Hearth Farm on our Contact page.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Full Schedule:

August 19
- 1pm-5pm: Arrival for instructors and those coming from a distance and/or camping.
  Sign in, meet-and-greet, campground setup, instructor setup, class signup.
- 6pm evening meal and planning session with instructors.
August 20
- 8am: Sign-in & class signup.
August 20, 21, 22
- 8:30am: Opening ceremony, announcements, instructor introductions, final class signup.
- 9am-12pm & 1pm-5pm: Hands-on class instruction.
- 6pm-8pm: Campsite social time, storytelling, music and folk dancing, stargazing, planets and constellations (if the night is clear).
August 21 and August 22 (for early risers)
- 6am-7am Birding, plants, landscape and ecology walk in the wildlands along the North Platte River.
August 23
- 9am-5pm: On this Saturday, our instructors, along with other presenters, will be teaching and presenting at the Archaeology Fair at the nearby Legacy of the Plains Museum. This is an open day, free for the general public and sponsored by the Meadowlark Health Living Environment Foundation and the Legacy of the Plains Museum, and is supported by a grant from Humanities Nebraska. This is a chance to help the Fair’s presenters and instructors and share the skills you have learned with others.
- 6pm Ending attendee debriefing session and camp cleanup.
August 24
For those camping Saturday night and leaving Sunday morning, please have campsite cleared and be ready to leave by 10am.

There will also be other sessions offered throughout the Gathering, and spontaneous activities as well, such as singing and working with ancient scales. Bring your own interests as well and announce possibilities at the 8:30am announcement time!

2025 Registration Information for the 2025

Meadowlark Hearth Ancestral Skills Gathering

Dates: Aug. 20-22 at Meadowlark Hearth. Archaeology fair Aug. 23 at legacy of the Plains museum. The Archaeology fair is free and open to the public, so it does not require registration. Only the 3 day Ancestral Skills Gathering at Meadowlark Hearth requires registration.

Registration Fees:

Adult camping: 125.00

Adult day Attendees: $75.00

Minor Teenagers (under 18): $20.00

Accompanied Children (under 13) Free

Chaperones or Supervisors for Minors Free. (As long as these adults are there for the sole purpose of fully accompanying or chaperoning children or minor teenagers). If a parent or adult is participating and engaging instructors to learn skills, they need to pay for the registration as adults, regardless of their needs to care for and accompany children.

Full Refund up until July 15th, minus 10% for Administrative costs, and/or registration can be carried over to the 2026 gathering.

Contact Meadowlark hearth living Environment Foundation for any questions about special needs, accommodations, discount, work trade, or other questions and concerns.

All participants are invited and strongly encouraged to participate in the Archaeology Fair on Sat. Aug. 23 at the nearby Legacy of the plains Museum. It is a chance to help the Fair’s presenters and instructors and share the skills you have learned with others.

Register Today

If you prefer to download our Registration Form and mail it to us with a check, along with your Waiver, please click here.

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Adult Camping

Price: $125.00

Adult Day

Price: $75.00

Minor Teen

Price: $20.00

Child

Price: $0.00

Chaperone

Price: $0.00

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If you have any comments or questions either before or after registering, please let us know, here.

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Terms and Conditions(Required)

You must read the following important information and check the box to indicate you understand these terms. I understand that I need to complete and hand-sign the Indemnification Waiver and return it or a copy of it, or bring it with me when I sign in at the Gathering, to be eligible to attend. You must also complete the Liability and Indemnification Waiver for any minor children attending the Gathering with you and for whom you are responsible.

Children under eight (8) must be accompanied by an adult while doing workshop activities. General adult supervision is required for anyone attending under the age of 18, and adult supervisors are responsible for the safety and actions of any minors in their care. Adult supervisors assume liability for any damages or injury resulting from the behavior of minors in their care during the event. If the adult supervisor is not the parent or guardian, the parent or guardian must sign a Liability and Indemnification Waiver form for the minor, and also provide a letter of permission to the designated adult supervisor for their child. This must be provided with the registration or at the registration table upon arrival at the Gathering.

Meals are not included at the Gathering. Some instructors may require additional fees for materials used as part of their classes. If so, this will be noted in the class descriptions when selecting classes at the Gathering.

If online checkout is not working correctly for you, please let us know. We want to help make this as easy as possible for you. Registering with smartphones is sometimes easier by turning your phone on its side, horizontally. You may also download the Registration Form, located on this page, and mail it to us with your payment and Waiver.

Cancellation Policy: Full refunds are provided until July 15, minus 10% for administrative costs, and/or registration may be deferred to the 2026 Gathering. This can only be done once. If you defer your tuition you may not transfer it to another person. You may transfer your ticket to another person for the 2025 Gathering if you cannot attend – but we will need a completed Registration form and Liability and Indemnification Waiver from that person before they may participate in the Gathering. Please contact us to help facilitate this.

I have read and agree to the Terms and Conditions.

DOWNLOAD YOUR WAIVER HERE