Now, let’s talk about some of the changes happening at Reclaimation this year.

 

The biggest change is that there will be no effigy built. One of our 10 Principles is Participation. I haven’t been seeing a lot of participation when it comes to the building of the effigy in the past few years that we burned. The effigy team worked their ass off in 2019 only to have the majority of the populace leave the burn field during the burn because of a little rain. It irked me then and it still does.

 

Afterward, I spent several months talking to folks in the community and I believe we’ve found a more participatory way to have an effigy. Each camp, or individual, will build their own “mini” effigy. They can be built beforehand or constructed onsite. They will be built from non-toxic, burnable, materials and be no larger than 2’x2′. There will be a “Carnivale” like procession through the burn from the HUB to the effigy field where the effigies will be promenaded and then placed in a designated spot to be set afire all at once. If you’ve been to Lakes of Fire, it will be akin to their “Mini Effigy Burn” on Thursday night.