Rae Studios gets another shout out!

THE SOURCE FARM St. Thomas, Jamaica SOURCE NEWS Source Farm Gave THANKS! ANCESTRAL TABLE AT THANKSGIVING kUMINA Thanksgiving Kumina at the Source Farm... At the Source Farm we are always saying “Thank You” because of the generosity of all our members, family and friends. In January 2011 the Source Farm held a special Thank You celebration… “A Thanksgiving Kumina”. A Kumina is a traditional celebration from the Congo. The thanksgiving Kumina celebrates the ancestors that walked the land and personal family ancestors. It is important to say “Thanks You” and to acknowledge all the seen and unseen energies that walked the land and that assist us daily as we continue to walk this earth. Many people came from near and far to celebrate and participate in the Kumina. There was much singing, dancing and traditional drumming all night. A beautiful ancestral table was set with ground provisions, bread, wines, rum, cakes, curry goat, chicken and fish. Of course fried fish and hard dough bread with chocolate tea was served. We truly thank all who participated and made the Kumina a great success.	Upcoming Events JUNE 2011 Raw Food Kids Jamaica JULY 2011 Teach And Beach AUGUST 2011 Permaculture Workshop For more info. contact Dwight Shirley dwightshirley1@hotmail.com Think For A Moment... He who wants to fly, must first learn to stand A quote from Jamaica
St. Thomas Parish Council Caught Red Handed! Members of the Source Farm team were informed that the St. Thomas Parish Council in conjunction with the National Environmental Planning Agency (NEPA) planned to incorporate the District of Johns Town and Beckford Town in to the Morant Bay Municipality. This was being done without the knowledge of any Johns Town residents. The Source Team jumped into action and mobilized the community members to conduct a town meeting. The Mayor, Hanif Brown, head of the St. Thomas Parish Council and Robert Sephestine, councilor for Johns Town was summoned to a community meeting to explain the rumors and their decisions. The meeting was held and there was a great turn out of residence. We then requested NEPA to have a community meeting to explain the ramifications of Johns Town being incorporated into Morant Bay Municipality. The NEPA meeting was held in May at the John's Town Methodist Church.The next step is for John's Town to vote on whether they should be part of Morant Bay or remain unincorporated. Stay tuned for further development in the Parish Council and Johns Town Saga! Daughters Of Indigo! On Saturday, May 2011 The Johns Town Women’s Craft Collective hosted an Indigo Dyeing Workshop. Corey Breneisen, a fiber artist, who recently relocated to Jamaica with her husband and children offered to teach a fabric dyeing workshop. While there she shared her knowledge, talent and equipment to teach the Women and a few men her love of fabric dyeing. There was a little excitement in the beginning of the workshop. A few women from the sewing corp. went to Summerset fall to obtain the Indigo plant which was to be used to make the dye bath. There were many attempts to extract dye from the plants collected from Sommet Set Falls. But to no avail there was no blue die coming from the plants. Corey, who is always prepared had powered indigo dye and saved the day. There were over 12 participants at the workshop. Each participant created a number of patterns from the techniques shown by Corey. The items were hung outside of Johns Town Primary school to dry. They were all a work of art. Participants paid for and selected their favorite piece and were happy to take home the knowledge and a piece of art. This workshop was so popular that all the women there have decided to continue to learn more about natural indigo dyeing. The women from the sewing corp. decided that they will obtain the true planting material and plant it. The dye from baths would be used to make other works of art. Thus Daughters of Indigo!	Donations From The Source Farm... Books, Books And More Books!! The Source Farm believes in the sharing of knowledge and as such has started a book drive. The operation of this book drive involves visitors to the land donating a book to the Source library. These books will be available to anyone who wants to borrow them. However, upon completing using the book it must be returned to the library. The Source Farm would like to thank the persons who donated books and implore others to donate to this worthy cause. “Reading maketh a full man.” "ONE ONE COCO FULL BASKET"... Please be a "Source Coco!"
VISITORS TO THE SOURCE... Source Farm Member Visit Made A Difference Jermaine Simons paid his yearly visit to the Source Farm. In February 2011, Jermaine had building terraces on his mind. Prior to his trip, he conducted a Terrace Sponsorship Fundraiser and received over $600 US dollar from friends, family and well wishers. With those funds in hand he ordered 25 tons of stones, hired the best local stone mason and went to work. Jermaine and the crew built and repaired over 10 stone terraces. He also ensured that all the terraces were named with all the donors and friends of the Source. If that was not enough work he decided to give Earthbag a facelift by doing a little landscaping with more stone and bamboo terraces. The entire Source Farm Family thanks Jermaine for all the hard work and fundraising he did for 2010-2011. See you next year Jermaine! Students and the Sun The Source Farm was blessed to have 3 schools visit us thus far this year. Johns Town Primary 4th Grade Class, Providence Prep School 6th Grade Class and Cedar Village Primary School 6th Grade Class. All the students had Alternative Power and Solar on their minds. Chaz and solar installer, Junior Adams, was on hand to give them a tour of the Woodshop’s solar and wind system. The students asked many good questions and were happy to learn. They were also shown solar dryers, a solar distiller and a solar cooker. The Source looks forward to conducting many more student tours next school year. HIGHLIGHTS ON THE SOURCE FARM! EARTHBAG SPARKS NEW INTEREST The design and structure of the buildings on The Source Farm continues to be of interest to members of the public. On Sunday, May 08, 2011, The Source Farm made the Gleaner newspaper again. This time the coverage was on the design and structure of the Earthbag buildings. Emphasis was also placed on the holistic lifestyle of the members at the eco-village and recognition was given to The Source Farm as being the first eco-village in St. Thomas. To read more about the article follow the link below http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110423/lead/lead5.html	More NEWS Community Sponsored Agriculture Project Is "Up And Running!" On April 9th 2011, The Source Farm launched its Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA) project. In this project, the members of the community intend to use organic produce from the farm to supply households on a regular basis. The aim of this project is to promote healthy living among Jamaican families. With the help of our members and new farmer we hope for the success of this project. Meet The Source's Farmer... After a long search for a farmer for the Source Farm, we finally found an ideal individual. He comes in the form of Wesley Thaxter. He hails from Coper’s Hill, Portland. He has one beautiful daughter. Wesley has been farming for over 33 years and has expressed his love for farming both in words and his action. He believes that farming is the source of food and without this practice one cannot eat or survive. Although his tenure on the farm has been for a short while, he has caused great improvement on The Source Farm. Specifically, he has extended the farming space (more terraces), planted various crops (tomato, beans, vegetables etc.) and he has been assisting with the irrigation and crop rotation on the farm. Wesley’s presence on the Source Farm has lifted much burden and we hope for continuous prosperity on the farm.