ABSTRACT

This is a comprehensive study of the Rainbow Family of Living Light, also known as The Rainbow Nation and The Rainbow Family. The Family, committed to principals of non-violence and non-hierarchical egalitarianism, has been holding large non-commercial Gatherings since 1972. They gather to pray for world peace and to demonstrate the viability of a cooperative utopian community living in harmony with the Earth. They govern themselves using a Council whose membership is open to all interested parties. Money is not needed, all necessities are free at Gatherings. Everyone is welcome.

This book describes different aspects of Rainbow Family life such as how the Rainbow Family Council functions; how the physical infrastructure of the Gatherings work; how they confront problems non-violently; who the Rainbow people are; how they are motivated to work in a society without money; how they relate to other communities and how they care for the land on which they gather. It also looks at internal contradictions within the Family and places the Family into an historical context.

It examines how the mainstream world relates to the Rainbow Family; how the media sees them and reports on the Gatherings and how the U.S. government treats them. It also examines the Family's relationship with Native Americans from whom they've appropriated much of their culture and spiritual beliefs.

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This books fits into the disciplines of American Studies; Sociology; Native American Studies; Journalism; Ethnography; Anthropology; Cultural Studies; Countercultural Studies and Religious Studies.

Reviews

"Michael Niman has drawn on a wide range of documents and many years of participant observation to give us the fullest, most balanced picture of the Rainbows ever published. His book is an outstanding work of American social history."

-- Timothy Miller, University of Kansas.

"In this book, Michael Niman skillfully leads us through the alternate universe of the Rainbow Family, a group of millenarian anarchists whose moveable feast takes the form of large annual gatherings in remote forests across the nation -- events that have alarmed and then baffled law-enforcement officials and observers from the media . . . . A riveting case study in postmodern American utopianism, People of the Rainbow will be compelling reading for anyone interested in popular spirituality, social movements, and contemporary American culture."

-- Michael F. Brown, Williams College

"...Michael Niman examines what it is that holds [the Rainbows] together--drumming and sharing, hewing wood and drawing water, trying to deal peacefully with the drunks of `A-Camp' and belligerent Babylonian authorities, and building state of the art shitters to protect the assembled brothers and sisters from outbreaks of mass diarrhea. Niman tells it with love and perceptiveness; his exegesis on homemade technology makes a serious point about ecology and self-sufficiency. He rightly raps the Rainbows who rip off American Indian rituals, but makes it clear that the Gatherings are not an ossified `60s relic, but an attempt to create a different way of life in the real world--even if only for a week."

--Steven Wishnia, High Times


"...After 200 pages, Niman comes to the same conclusion I did almost the moment I arrived at my first Gathering. But his is backed up by an impressive amount of social science. Much of the final chapter focuses on a detailed analysis of the variables that caused past utopias to succeed or fail, including a detailed comparison with The Farm. With or without spiritual "vision" or a respectable foundation in Native mythology, he seems to conclude, the Family is here to stay.

...All in all, People of the Rainbow is a Herculean attempt at a Quixotic task. His freedom of Information Act research alone is worth the price of the book. In spite of its flaws--and its polish--Mike Niman's detailed examination and clear assessment of the Family is a contribution that would make any Rainbow Warrior proud."

Stephen Wing, Ho!, All Ways Free


"...The book rambles like a typical day at a gathering, wandering through history, the group's "policies" of decision-making by consensus, attitudes toward violence, crime, Native Americans, land, and the US government. The author knows utopian history and consistently hits the mark in placing the Family in the context of utopian thought. Whether readers agree with his evaluation of the meaning of the Rainbow Nation is almost irrelevant. The group is a living extension of a subculture that reigned when ideas were simpler and more positive; Niman's book suits it well. A set of scruffy, delightful appendixes enriches the understanding of Rainbow lifestyle even more."

E. J. Green, Choice


"...Niman was a most conscientious and sensitive fieldworker, obtaining much information from individuals with whom many researchers would have found it impossible to establish rapport. It is evident that he has a good background in the literature of utopian communitarian societies, both descriptive and theoretical.

This reviewer found the book to be well documented and very interesting. The Rainbow Family 'comes to life' from the very first page. The account is at once sympathetic and yet objective. There are, in this writer's opinion, too few descriptions of past and present communitarian societies by professionals. To this small library, Niman's work is a valuable addition."

Christina M. Lemieux, Nova Religio

People of the Rainbow; A Nomadic Utopia, is dedicated
to the memory of Evelyn Niman, 1927-1996

Table of Contents

Chapter 1	Sunflower's Day (Ethnographic Fiction)
Chapter 2	Roots, Rock, Rainbow
Chapter 3	"The Way We Make Decisions Is More Important Than The Decisions We Make": The Rainbow Family Council
Chapter 4	The Nuts and Bolts of Making a Rainbow: Rainbow Infrastructure
Chapter 5	People of the Rainbow
Chapter 6	Violence and Peace
Chapter 7	Fakelore
Chapter 8	The Mediated Rainbow: American Media Looks at the Rainbow Family
Chapter 9	Leave Only Smiles: Land Stewardship and Community Relations
Chapter 10	The Rainbow and the U.S. Government
Chapter 11	Endless Summer
Notes
Appendix
Glossary	Link to Glossary ( offsite )
References Cited
Index

Ordering Information

"People of the Rainbow" is published by the University of Tennessee Press, a not-for-profit publisher. Copies can be ordered directly by sending $18.95 + $3.50 shipping for the first book, $0.75 for additional books, to: University of Tennessee Press Chicago Distribution Center, 11030 South Langley Ave., Chicago, IL 60628. Illinois residents add 8.75% sales tax.

Lowest Available Internet Price - Follow this link to see a comparative listing of internet bookstore prices for People of the Rainbow.  I am not familiar with all of these vendors so you are on your own. Prices change daily. Lowest new price as of summer 2005 is $17.06(usd) plus shipping.

Books can also be ordered On-Line from Amazon.Com via a secure connection automatically by following this link> AMAZON ORDERING INFORMATION Always in stock 2-3 day delivery.  $18.95 (qualifies for supersaver shipping)

Do not buy from Powell's as they charge 20% over list price.

Links to Related Sites

Rainbow Forums

SEARCH the Web for Rainbow Family Photos
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Author's Homepage

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Sample Pages & Quotes

Look Inside "People of the Rainbow"
University of Tennessee Press Site - Sample Pages from People of the Rainbow
Selected Quotes Interspersed With an Extensive Review by Stephen Wing -- from the unofficial Rainbow Family Website.

People of the Rainbow is printed on archival quality low-acid recycled paper with a minimum life expectancy of 300 years. It contains 25 photos, a comprehensive index and a glossary.

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