What makes the Gathering so unique and special is that we bring together 40+ Indigenous elders from all around the world. What goes into these efforts includes round trip transportation (including flights, ride-shares, boat rides, etc.), visas, hotels, meals, guardian accompaniment and of course financial reciprocity for their time and energy at the Gathering. Some of the elders are flying from remote and hard-to-reach places. Some of the elders have to travel 4-days by boat, then another day in a car and then take three flights to get to California, these fees add up.

Additionally, the Gathering incurs standard multi-day event expenses including: venue rental, build materials and set up for ceremonial and talk areas, providing infrastructure including sound, lighting, showers and toilets, security, medic, insurance, permits, waste management, web design, operations team, etc.

The process of assembling things at the Gathering demands a considerable amount of equipment and hours of labor.

Aniwa’s reach expands beyond the Gathering and it can be experienced 365 days a year through Aniwa Digital, Aniwa Retreats, and our sister non-profit the Huya Aniwa.

Our mission is to make Aniwa’s values and teachings more accessible to a greater number around the world.

We'd like to highlight that we provide 35% of our tickets to low-income individuals who can demonstrate financial need. This program aims to ensure that people without the financial means to purchase a full-price ticket can still access the event. Additionally, we gift tickets to volunteers who contribute their time and efforts to build the Aniwa Gathering and make the event possible.