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| About
Us |
 Our
Beginnings. . .
Rancho
Arco Iris was founded in 1979 by Maria Christina Moroles (Sun Hawk)
on 130 acres deeded to her by a back-to-the-land community called
Sassafras. Maria Christina, a Mexican American / Coahuilateco woman
with a vision
of creating a "healing place to bring people of all colors together," used
the land as the base for the nonprofit activities of Arco Iris a
non-profit corporation she and others founded in 1987. There Maria
used her own
homestead for a self-sufficiency camp where she and other residents
taught hands-on rural independent living skills and an ethic of self-sufficiency
to women and children.
In 1995 Arco Iris attained IRS 501-C3 tax-exempt status and
three years later the organization was gifted with 370 acres - the
rest of the now disbanded Sassafras Community.
This
property was renamed Wild Magnolia. One of the traditional beliefs
Moroles
embraces
is that one’s ancestors may call on her to
complete certain tasks. She believes that securing the Newton
County
land for future
generations, has been part of her destiny, she says. “It’s
an incredible miraculous land.”
Arco Iris currently holds
in trust 390+ acres in the Boxley Valley area of Newton County,
Arkansas, near the Buffalo River. The organization's mission
includes environmental education, indigenous cultural education
and preservation, protecting and preserving Mother Earth
to create for future generations, with a special focus on
empowerment of women and children of color.
Past
activities of Arco Iris have included:
*week-long Youth Camps for teenagers from diverse backgrounds, including nature
hikes, horseback riding, ecology education, and a challenge ropes course
*an EPA-funded Forum for poultry workers on workplace hazards and environmental
justice education
*annual Herb Walks to identify and protect native medicinal plants and herbs.
Most
recently, work has begun on development of an environmental
education/retreat center and lodge facilities on trust land
called Wild Magnolia. As part of Projecto Tierra Indigina for
1st, 2nd and 3rd generation Latinos, caretakers, organizations,
and individuals will be able to visit and study permaculture,
small livestock raising, agroforestry, organic gardening, and
aquaculture, as well as outdoor recreation and locally produced
food, crafts, and art.
Last
fall, the 4th year class of the University of Arkansas Landscape
Architecture program, under instructor John Crone, used the
370-acre Wild Magnolia land as a Master Planning demonstration
project. Students analyzed the terrain and physical characteristics
of the land to work out ideas for the best placement of buildings,
recreational areas and trails, housing, ponds, roads, and fields.
They also buffer areas for stream protection, sensitive plants
and wildlife, identified areas with outstanding attributes
to be protected as sacred sites.
This spring, work began in ernest, as the land was cleared
of old buildings, vehicles, and trash, in preparation for its
future.
Nuestras Raíces…
Rancho Arco Iris se
fundo en 1979 por Maria Christina Moroles (Halcón de Sol) en 130 acres
en las montañas por una comunidad que se llamaba Sassafras. Maria Christina,
un Mexicana Coahuilateco primera generación Americana con una visión “de
crear un lugar curativo donde personas de todos colores se podrían juntarse," usando
Rancho Arco Iris como base para actividades de Arco Iris un corporación
sin fines de lucro se fundo en 1987 por ella y otras. Allí Maria usó su
propia casa y propiedad para un campo de autosuficiencia donde ella y otras mujeres
enseñaron habilidades independientes y rurales y una ética de autosuficiencia
a mujeres y niños.
En
1995 Arco Iris alcanzo IRS 501-C3 la posición exenta de
impuestos y a los tres años la organización recibió una
donación de 370 acres de terreno. Este terreno fue nombrado
Wild Magnolia. Uno de las creencias tradicionales que Moroles abraza
es que nuestros antepasados nos pueden pedir a completar ciertas tareas.
Ella creer que asegurar esta tierra en el Condado de Newton para generaciones
futuras era parte de su destino. Ella dice, “esta tierra es un
milagro increíble.” Arco Iris planea usar la
tierra para crear una subsidiaria Comunidad Custodia de la Tierra:
un Ecoaldea
auto directivo para inmigrantes Latinos y sus descendientes.
|
 Our
Mission. . .
is
to protect Our Sacred Mother Earth, promote matriarchal leadership
for women of color and to preserve indigenous traditions of the Americas.
Nuestra Misión...
es para proteger Nuestra Madre tierra Sagrada,
promueve el liderazgo matriarcal para mujeres de color y para
preservar las tradiciones
indígenas de las
Américas.
Our
Objective . . .
To
provide environmental education and other skills
needed to promote stewardship of our Earth and healthy,
sustainable, cooperative living.
Nuestro Objetivo...
es
para proporcionar la educación ambiental y otras habilidades necesitaron
promover cuida
de nuestra Tierra y la vida saludable, sostenible
y cooperativa.
Our
Goals...
---to acquire land and protect
its ecological diversity
---to ensure a healthy earth for
future generations
---to establish self governing intentional communities of diverse people who
love and care for the earth
---to empower women of color and their families with
skills for sustaining healthy lives
Nuestras Metas...
---son obtener y guardar terrenos y proteger su diversidad
ecológica
---para asegurar una tierra saludable
para generaciones futuras
---para establecer comunidades
intenciónales auto gobierna de gente diversa
que ama y cuida la tierra
---para apoderar a mujeres de
color y sus familias con habilidades para sostener
vidas saludables |
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