East Wind
Encyclopedia
East Wind Community is an intentional community
located in the Missouri
Ozarks. Founded in 1973, it is a secular and democratic community in which members hold all communities assets in common. Each member is also given food, shelter, clothing, medical care, education, and a monthly discretionary fund. All major decisions are made by direct democratic processes and most positions in the community are elected.
East Wind Community owns 1045 acres (4.2 km²) of land and several businesses. The community is located off Route 160
on the southern end of county road 547 in Ozark County
just outside Tecumseh, Missouri
.
Their stated goal is peace, social justice
, and economic and social democracy
. The name was taken from a quote by Mao Zedong
, which was along the lines of "The East Wind shall prevail over the West."
The East Wind Community has several income sources including a nut butter
business named East Wind Nutbutters that generates $500,000 annually. The community manufactures roasted peanuts, peanut butter
, cashew butter, almond butter
and tahini
as well as a peanut butter and a tahini that are organic. In addition they produce "Utopian Rope Sandals", also known as "Utopes". They used to produce handmade drums through Slackjaw Percussion. Members are required to work a certain number of hours and income from the businesses is used to support the community.
Prospective members are selected by a membership team and are then invited for a three-week visitor period, at the end of which they may become provisional members, barring the existence of too many concerns within the community. Following a one year provisional membership full members have the opportunity to call for a vote on any new member who may either be too disruptive or who is failing to do their fair share of the labor. There is also an associate status for people who do not wish to make a full commitment to the community. A provisional member has an option to take a leave. If during the first two weeks as a provisional member this leave may be up to a year long.
East Wind is a member of the Federation of Egalitarian Communities
, which also includes the communities Twin Oaks, Sandhill Farm, and several others. There are many community conferences and labor exchanges between the communities, and there is a fund which all the communities pay into to help cover any major medical expenses.
Members live in dorm style buildings and there is a central dining hall, laundry and shower house. There are also several personal shelters designated as doubles for couples and visitors. Common spaces for recreational activities including computers also exist.
National Geographic covered the community in their August 2005 issue.
Intentional community
An intentional community is a planned residential community designed to have a much higher degree of teamwork than other communities. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, or spiritual vision and often follow an alternative lifestyle. They...
located in the Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
Ozarks. Founded in 1973, it is a secular and democratic community in which members hold all communities assets in common. Each member is also given food, shelter, clothing, medical care, education, and a monthly discretionary fund. All major decisions are made by direct democratic processes and most positions in the community are elected.
East Wind Community owns 1045 acres (4.2 km²) of land and several businesses. The community is located off Route 160
U.S. Route 160
U.S. Route 160 is a 1,465 mile long east–west United States highway in the Midwestern United States. The western terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 89 five miles west of Tuba City, Arizona. The eastern terminus is at U.S...
on the southern end of county road 547 in Ozark County
Ozark County, Missouri
Ozark County is a county located in South Central Missouri in the United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the county's population was 9,542. A 2008 estimate, however, showed the population to be 9,227. The largest city and county seat is Gainesville. From 1843 to 1845 the county was called...
just outside Tecumseh, Missouri
Tecumseh, Missouri
Tecumseh is an unincorporated community in eastern Ozark County, Missouri. It is located on Norfork Lake about ten miles east of Gainesville on U.S. Highway 160. It was named for Tecumseh, a Shawnee Indian chief who settled in the general area....
.
Their stated goal is peace, social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
, and economic and social democracy
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
. The name was taken from a quote by Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
, which was along the lines of "The East Wind shall prevail over the West."
The East Wind Community has several income sources including a nut butter
Nut butter
A nut butter is a spreadable foodstuff made by crushing nuts. The result has a high fat content and can be spread like true butter, but is otherwise unrelated...
business named East Wind Nutbutters that generates $500,000 annually. The community manufactures roasted peanuts, peanut butter
Peanut butter
Peanut butter is a food paste made primarily from ground dry roasted peanuts, popular in North America, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and parts of Asia, particularly the Philippines and Indonesia. It is mainly used as a sandwich spread, sometimes in combination as in the peanut butter and jelly...
, cashew butter, almond butter
Almond butter
Almond butter is a food paste made from almonds. Almonds are high in monounsaturated fats, which is a healthier form of fat than saturated fat. Almond butter is an excellent source of Vitamin E and magnesium and a good source of fiber. Almond butter also contains protein, potassium, calcium,...
and tahini
Tahini
Tahini or sesame paste , is a paste of ground sesame seeds used in cooking. North African, Greek and West Asian tahini is made of hulled, lightly roasted seeds. East Asian sesame paste is made of unhulled seeds. The Arabic word tahin simply means flour.Tahini is a major component of hummus and...
as well as a peanut butter and a tahini that are organic. In addition they produce "Utopian Rope Sandals", also known as "Utopes". They used to produce handmade drums through Slackjaw Percussion. Members are required to work a certain number of hours and income from the businesses is used to support the community.
Prospective members are selected by a membership team and are then invited for a three-week visitor period, at the end of which they may become provisional members, barring the existence of too many concerns within the community. Following a one year provisional membership full members have the opportunity to call for a vote on any new member who may either be too disruptive or who is failing to do their fair share of the labor. There is also an associate status for people who do not wish to make a full commitment to the community. A provisional member has an option to take a leave. If during the first two weeks as a provisional member this leave may be up to a year long.
East Wind is a member of the Federation of Egalitarian Communities
Federation of Egalitarian Communities
The Federation of Egalitarian Communities is a group of egalitarian communities which have joined together with the common purpose of creating a lifestyle based on equality, cooperation, and harmony with the Earth....
, which also includes the communities Twin Oaks, Sandhill Farm, and several others. There are many community conferences and labor exchanges between the communities, and there is a fund which all the communities pay into to help cover any major medical expenses.
Members live in dorm style buildings and there is a central dining hall, laundry and shower house. There are also several personal shelters designated as doubles for couples and visitors. Common spaces for recreational activities including computers also exist.
National Geographic covered the community in their August 2005 issue.