BIPOC RITES: TENDING THE ALTAR OF OUR ANCESTORS
This 7-day program is open to all who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)—also known as People of the Global Majority. It is a space to rekindle, stoke, and offer devotion to our relationships with the land, the more-than-human world, our ancestors, and ourselves. From this grounding, we can more authentically contribute to our communities, rooted in who we are, our people, and the lands that hold us.
Together, we will gather on the land and in circle to have the full spectrum of our intersecting identities and experiences reflected and celebrated.
Modern earth-based rites of passage rarely center the experiences of BIPOC communities, though our cultures often hold the most recent ties to earth-based ways. Many of us come from lineages uprooted through slavery, colonization, globalization, and assimilation—whether in recent or far-reaching histories. This program offers the opportunity to seed anew or revitalize your connection with your ancestors, tending their altars and rooting them in the landscape—while holding the ongoing realities of settler colonialism.
This program is for those both familiar with and completely new to earth-based rites. Together we will create a temporary community, exploring our relationships with nature, with self, with the more-than-human world, and with our ancestors. Through somatic resiliency work, daily walks on the land, council, altar-building, self-generated ceremony, shared meals, and the Four Shields of Human Nature, you will be supported in reclaiming, healing, empowering, and celebrating these vital relationships
Dates: July 11-19, 2026
Please plan to arrive by 4pm on July 11th. We will plan to end no later 5pm on July 18th but suggest spending the last night with the group and leaving the next morning.
Pre-Gathering Meetings:
While the above dates are when we meet in person at Wild Mountain, there will be several Zoom gatherings in the months before and after to support preparation and integration. We believe preparing before the journey is essential to deepening the experience. Simply pay the deposit to attend these touchpoints. We hope to convene a committed container of participants, so be sure that you can attend before joining these touchpoints.
Transportation:
Wild Mountain is located near Buena Vista in central Colorado. We suggest carpooling with other participants. There is a bus 1 x a day from Denver to Buena Vista where we can pick you up and drive you to Wild Mountain. If you are traveling by bus, please plan to arrive on a flight to Denver no later than 11:30am on July 11th and fly out of Denver after 2pm on July 19th. Please contact the guides before arranging travel.
Practical Preparations:
This program is a camping based event, meaning you will be sleeping in a tent at nearly 9,500 feet in the Rocky Mountains, with temperature ranging from mid 40s at night to high 80s during the day. Wild Mountain offers fresh drinking water, outdoor showers, and a simple outdoor kitchen. We encourage shared meals and collective cooking, so please bring food to contribute.
Most days will include time in council, so bring a comfortable chair if you’d like (we can provide one if needed). Pack layers for a variety of weather conditions. A full equipment list will be sent upon registration, and extra gear is available—please reach out if you need support.
Guides: Timotéo(Téo) Ikoshy Montoya II, Kim Moriyama, Brent Harris, & Yanitsa Rodriguez
Deposit:
To secure your spot and participate in the pre-gathering meetings, a nontransferable and nonrefundable deposit of $100 is required by June 13th 2026, along with registration forms. If the deposit is a barrier, or if you need support for travel costs, please contact us.
Pay your deposit here or by Venmo @Wild-Mountain
Donation Based:
Our intention is to make this program accessible while sustaining our team of BIPOC Guides. Please give what you are able, recognizing the time, energy, and resources that go into this offering. Those able to contribute more make it possible for others to join.
Please visit our Reciprocity page for more information.
All proceeds go directly to supporting future BIPOC participation in trainings and programs. If you need additional support, please reach out about our BIPOC Access Fund.
Registration or Questions:
To register, join the waitlist, or ask questions, please email our team at: tendingthealtar@wildmountainretreats.org