The "events" page contains a different slice of our activities.

In celebration this weekend, Svetlana has invited family and friends, especially young children, to sow 65 kedr trees, which will germinate indoors this winter and be planted on Svetlana's land in the spring. Additional seeds will be planted in Tyungur. The kedr tree is sacred to Altai people, and is valued for its sweet pinenuts, fragrant oil, and rot-resistant wood. These trees will be a living heritage for future generations….see kedr-planting slideshow

Spirit moved me to make a quick trip to the Karakol Valley on Thanksgiving Day, and I was greeted with great generosity by Danil Mamyev and Joanna Dobson. We made an excursion to the Bashadar kurgans, and then enjoyed the evening together, but the highlight was a visit to the new community center in Bo’ochi village.

Village women are ramping up a cottage industry of beautiful, traditional wool, felt, and fleece products—sumptuous fleece/silk vests and comforters, woolen blankets, felt boots and slippers. The wool is cleaned with fermented sheep’s milk, and no chemicals are used. The sheep themselves are unexposed to chemicals. And, these products are imbued with the powerful Altai energy, so they are indeed precious. If you have resources for marketing these products, or would like something yourself, please let me know.

My artistic masterpiece this month was a mural on the ceiling of a chai-house in Chendek village, Ust Koksa region. I am told that such a mural is completely novel in this part of the world. Perhaps it will spawn a new tradition….see Chendek mural

Give ART! Help ALTAI! Save 20%!
Altai art and photographs make wonderful holiday gifts. Besides being beautiful, they convey the Altai energy into whatever space they grace. All proceeds go to Altai Mir University projects. In December only, get a 20% rebate (credited back when you buy)!

Winter here is amazingly beautiful, although bitter cold. Occasionally, fog will coat everything with a thick layer of frost, which then drifts into the air and sparkles when the sun shines through it!….see Altai winter slideshow

I'm delightedly back in my beloved Altai until mid-December, clarifying next steps on the best ways for the global community to support sustainable economic development that enables the indigenous Altai stewards to continue caring for their sacred World Heritage .... read Svetlana Katynova's 6-year sustainable development overview

Next fundraising goal is a 4-year campaign to raise $18,000 each year to purchase building materials for two pivotal community centers in Tyungur. The land is provided, and locals will match your contributions with their labor and local resources. Details in overview, above. Consider an automatic monthly donation .... CLICK at left to make this happen

Or if more earthy goals appeal to you, contact me directly to help with $200 materials costs for the pit toilet at Mt. Belukha. Russian volunteers will build it in July 2010. If you join our 2011 International Altai Expedition, you can even use it!

Altai Mir University has just made a formal collaboration agreement with the UNESCO Leadership Chair at Siberian Academy for Public Administration in Novosibirsk, which means that most of our programs will now be under the auspices of UNESCO.

Amazing Ukrainian Vyacheslav Bronnikov, who teaches people to see remotely, access photographic memory, and use 90% of our brains, will be in California in November. We're planning a workshop series in Seattle in March .... see my Bronnikov interview in the current Spirit of Ma’at

(giggle) I “taught” two “Painting Light” playshops in Novosibirsk in October, with 2 more planned for December. People paint not only with their hands now, but with their feet and anything else that’s convenient. Real freedom, joy, and creativity are unleashed! .... check out the latest "Painting Light" slideshows: in Novosibirsk and Akademgorodok

This is me, Carol, having found the rainbow's pot of gold at Lake Akkem (at the base of Mt. Belukha) this July. The magic of this place is transmitted even through the photo! We are planning another international expedition in July 2011. Please contact me at Carol@AltaiMir.org if this calls you.

Woohoo! Danil Mamyev's crucial "sacred land" registration project is now fully funded!
Huge thanks to all of you!! Contributions by numerous individuals, plus couple of associate NGOs in our informal Altai Alliance did the trick ... see report

Now we will focus on other aspects of Earth stewardship in Altai: cultural, economic, environmental. As the indigenous Altai people are supported to regain and strengthen their deep connection with Earth, the impact will be felt energetically all over the planet ... see Why Altai?

New Sacred Masculine paintings!
When I completed the 52 Sacred Feminine paintings last winter, I immediately knew that I needed to paint 52 Sacred Masculine paintings. As a woman, it was easy for me to embody the sacred feminine essences and paint them, but what about the sacred masculine?? ... read the story ... see the paintings

Build it, and they will come: Part I
AMU is now building a virtual library, posting or linking to documents, videos, and reports about Altai that otherwise might be lost. If you have anything to be archived, please send it! And our virtual catalog is the "search" function at the top of this page. (Newly posted material may not be immediately available, because Google has to find and index it first.)

Build it, and they will come: Part II
The pit toilet we had built two years ago at the crowded campground at the foot of Mt. Belukha has been so popular that a new one is now needed. Several groups of trekkers from all over Russia will convene during the last week of July 2010 to build a new, more capacious outhouse. AMU has promised to supply materials, tools, and encouragement. It will cost about $300, and your sponsorship will be greatly appreciated.

Land registration update
Thank you all, for donating another $2,500 in the past month toward the remaining $22,000 that is needed before year's end to secure the sacred Karakol Valley. Your individual donations and continued networking are what get us there, and are profoundly appreciated and powerful!

Please continue help us to hold the intention that the necessary funds are available. All the recent reports, with pictures and maps, are listed below.

Elo Cultural Festival
That's me in the traditional Altai dress (above), gleefully strumming a topshur -- a two-stringed instrument that usually accompanies throat-singing. I join a Kazakh warrior/musician at the Elo Music Festival in the Onguday Region. Event organizers dressed me up after I gave greetings from America to the international crowd -- in Russian! A sacred mountain rises behind me.
It turned out to be much more than music. At the main stage, singers and groups from all over Central Asia showed off their musical talents and glorious traditional costumes. Wrestling and whip-handling contests were held there too. At the hippodrome in the next valley, an intense horseback competition was waged ... video (made by Professor Michael Brody of Montana State University at Bozeman and Alexander Bogolyubov, Director of Ecocenter, near Moscow)

What is kai-chi?
The Altai people have three treasures. The first is kai, one of the oldest styles of throat-singing, preserved only in the Altai Mountains, through which the Altai oral tradition is passed, and which is developed by such gatherings. Performance of kai, or the person performing, are both called kai-chi ...more

Guest in an Altai Home
During the music festival at Elo, I was a guest in a traditional Altai home. Upon arrival, we all drank tea in the a'il, the traditional five- or six-sided wooden structure that anchors Altai households. I was told that, no matter how beautiful a home a family might have, the heart of the household is the a'il, where the dirt floor below and open smoke-hole above provide a constant reminder of the human place between Earth and Sky ...more

Matay Qara translation
Throatsinging of ancient epics, that goes on for days, is legendary in Altai. Such epics are not memorized; the singer channels the sounds from some deep cultural memory. The sounds are then transformed directly into images in the listeners' minds. For years, I've been intensely curious about not only this phenomenon, but also about the ancient epics. Now I've found a transcription of the most famous of all -- the Matay Qara ...download pdf (14.4mb)

Your donations – an American plot?
To dispel rumors that your donations were actually an American plot to buy up Altai land for commercialization, this interview of me by Marina Tyasto was translated into Russian and published in a couple of local newspapers ...download interview (55kb)

• This summer!! Get hands-on experience using Earth-friendly technologies.
• Work/play with an international group of like-minded volunteers.
• Camp at Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Lakota Reservation. (Camping cost, including food, is $100/week/person; bring your whole family!!)
  

  Christinia Eala

  See brochure or website: http:winyanmaka07.webs.com 

  
  Can't get away? Then donate to help with the $10,000 costs per dome-home!! Please send donations to:
  Christinia Eala, P.O. Box 111, Wounded Knee, SD  57794,
  c/o Hobert Spotted Bear,
  OR click here to donate on-line (then designate for Lakota by e-mail to carol@AltaiMir.org)

  Pilamaye!  

  Christinia says: Be well, stay strong on your Path. Wicosani to you and your loved ones.  ("Wicosani" is a one-word prayer that means to "Walk in Balance with the Four Aspects of Self: the Mental, Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual".) 

  
  
  It is SO inspiring to see the impact that your support is making here in Altai. There is new hope here, which will absolutely translate into hope on the whole planet over the next few years. Altai is where it all starts. Thank you, joyfully and absolutely!

  The global campaign to protect sacred Altai land has been successful in two fundamental ways:

  1. We have provided funds directly for land registration of the most vulnerable community members.
  2. Our active concern has inspired Altai communities to gather up hope, and move forward with community self-organization to protect their lands on behalf of the future of humanity.

  We are not quite done yet. Completion of land registration in the Karakol Valley, “the Pearl of Asia,” still hinges on an additional $21,000 before the end of 2009. Surely, in our global community, we can each contribute to this crucial investment in planetary harmony—monetarily and spiritually. Get inspired by clicking through the three reports! And then take action!
  

  Great news from Svetlana Katynova in Tyungur …

  • Breakthrough! 126 villagers form a land collective; our funding from last year enables the most needy to join up.
  • Svetlana and the village administrator join forces and chase out predatory realtor.
  • This year’s funding will protect another village, plus 2 farms that include sacred sites.
  • Land registration in Ust Koksa region is now manageable with self-financing; next phase, to re-build culture to sustain stewardship resources.

  Danil Mamyev keeps working away in Onguday …

  • Comprehensive mapping of sacred Karakol Valley untangles general chaos around land registration.
  • International financial support gives villagers hope; now they will proceed with registration.
  • Our funding also pays the many legal fees enabling title documentation of the most vulnerable parcels by volunteers—it’s a huge task.
  • New federal law provides a potential tool for better indigenous control of sacred lands
  • Slow but steady progress; full funding of budget needed; looking for $21,000 miracle.

  What's a "kurgan," really? Scientific research measures the remarkable energy anomalies of sacred sites in Karakol Valley.
  

  Take action!

  • Forward this message to your network
  • Click on the button at top left, and donate whatever you can.
  • Hold the intention that the sacred Earth is protected and harmony flourishes.

  
  

  Reports from the Field – April 2009
  

  for more information
  ....watch "Earth Focus" video about land situation
  ....what is Altai Mir University, and why Altai?
  ....find Altai on the map

  to participate
  Support Altai land integrity
  URGENT! This year is the last chance, under current law, to save traditional Altai lands from risk of expropriation for commercial development. Our 2009 fundraising goal of $100,000 will secure thousands of unspoiled acres.
  ....learn about this year's villages
  ....see the results of our 2008 campaign
  ....explore the options as of 2010

  Transmit Altai energy into your own space Powerful Altai inspiration is transmitted out to the world through the 52 new visionary paintings Carol made this past year in Altai, about "Heart Opening: Re-Emergence of the Sacred Feminine. Each image is an energy portal.
  ....view sacred feminine paintings slideshow
  ....put this energy into your own space
  
  Experience the magic through Altai music
  Join us in Altai for the international indigenous music festival, July 15-17, 2009, at the new Altai Cultural Retreat Center in Tyungur.
  ....read more
  ....contact Carol for details
  
  

Reports from the Field – December 08

The Altai people of Siberia
have held their sacred lands in trust
for the world from time immemorial.

Now, the world has discovered Altai,
and the lands are at risk...

Together we form a global community, saving lands that are sacred to the Altai people and to the world! Thank you!
....why Altai?
....see slideshow of Altai land and culture

• This year is the last chance, with current laws, to save additional traditional lands from risk of sale for commercial development. Our people in Altai have committed to doing the legwork to save lands in two more at-risk villages, so our fundraising goal is $20,000. We can do this if you get the word out....learn about these villages
  
  
• Last year, your $7,000 in donations saved the Kucherla collective, whose land surveying and registration is now in the final phase of the process—getting a court order to force the land official to register their surveyed land. The amount of time, travel, labor, strategizing, courage, and persistence by our volunteer team there has been heroic! Together, we ALL enabled their success.... read the report with photos and maps
  
  
• And in 2010? One Russian attorney advised, "The new land law allowing public sale of traditional lands is chaos. Nobody knows. Register what you can, now!"....read about the options

We are the first winners of the new
International Citizen Diplomacy Award
from the National Peace Foundation!

• AMU founder and president Carol Hiltner will be awarded the first "Peace Quilts" Award for Citizen Diplomacy by the National Peace Foundation in January. Her daughter Sunny Gagliano will be among the co-recipients....celebrate with us in Washington DC
  
  
• It was Carol's magnificent 8' diameter, round peace quilts, signed by hundreds of people during the height of the Cold War in the 1980s, that inspired this award.... read the story

Valuable resources are already moving in both directions across the "knowledge bridges" that Altai Mir University is building!

• Powerful Altai inspiration is being transmitted out to the world through the
  52 new visionary paintings Carol made this past year in Altai, about "Heart Opening: Re-Emergence of the Sacred Feminine....enjoy them on-line or support AMU programs by buying a reproduction
  
  
• An international indigenous music festival is planned for July 15-17, 2009, at the amazing new Altai Cultural Retreat Center that is being developed by Svetlana Katinova's "Sacred Altai" NGO in Tyungur, with sponsorship from AMU....contact Carol for details
  
  
• AMU sponsored the 10th Global Leadership Forum last June in Novosibirsk, which included a delegation to Altai. We are now working with Marina Tyasto on the 1st Global WOMEN's Leadership Forum in Novosibirsk in October 2009....read the 10th GLF summary with photos (1235kb)
  
  
• An investigative trip to Altai by Tlingit chief and international indigenous land law expert Rudy James was hosted by AMU in June 2009, and included his presentation to the Global Leadership Forum and visit to one of Altai's most respected wisdom-keepers in the village of Telengit (we figure the Tlingits and the Telengits must be distant cousins!).... read the report
  
  
• There's much more!...check out our program and event summaries