It’s hard to believe it, but the very first Ethno USA is finally here! With 30 participants and mentors from ten countries and territories, and a team of organizers and staff, the first night got off to a great start with a lovely welcome ceremony around the campfire nestled in beautiful Black Mountain, North Carolina.

The ceremony was opened with a lovely land acknowledgment by Lakota John, and then the Ethno stone from Sweden was passed around while everyone introduced themselves. This 1.7 billion-year-old (yes, billion!) stone will travel from Ethno to Ethno, absorbing the energy from every event and creating a connection that spans worldwide. It’ll be headed to Chile next!

We ended the ceremony with a song shared by our artistic mentors Dal’Sahu Not-Afraid, Zayra Pola, and Emily Schaad. And of course, the night didn’t end after that! No Ethno is complete without a late-night jam session.

We’re overjoyed to finally be here and there’s already an incredible vibe as everyone gets to know each other and starts building this new Ethno USA family! We’ll continue to share more updates throughout the week on our Instagram account, so please follow us over there!

(Oh, and a special shoutout to our chef, Jeremy, who has been cooking the most delicious and nourishing food for us!)