Nov 15, 2012 — CANADA (SUN) — Over the years, we've published many serial Features in the Sun on various aspects of Krsna culture. Earlier this year we reprised a 2006 series called "Krsna Culture in Music, documenting the proliferation of the Sankirtan Movement through the counter-culture pipeline and many other musical avenues. More recently, we've been running a 'Vintage Hare Krsna' series, sharing circa 1970's photographs of the devotees. Tonight, we offer an interesting cross-over between these two categories.
Shown above is a wire press photo in our collection that was taken on August 31, 1969 by photographer Geo (George) Carkonen. The venue was the Sky River Rock Festival in Tenino, Washington, south of Olympia. Given that the festival site was located on the grounds of a beef ranch, the devotees undoubtedly preached vegetarianism to the locals and distributed Krsna Prasadam.
We have not yet identified the devotees in the photograph, although that may be Visnujana prabhu on the harmonium, and Mukunda on the mridanga. If anyone can help us identify those pictured, please let us know.
The devotees were evidently included in the entertainment lineup, because the press photo refers to them as "Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple", the name commonly used when the devotees chanted on-stage at events. The stage name held strong sway, being associated with the Apple-produced recordings.
Although 1969 was very early days for the history of the Hare Krsna movement, the devotees participated in other rock music events as early as 1967, on both coasts of the United States. On the West Coast, Srila Prabhupada appeared at the East Meets West Mantra Rock Dance at San Francisco's Avalon Ballroom on January 29, 1967. On the East Coast, the Holy Name arrived in 1967 at the 1st International Psychedelic Exposition in Dutchess County, New York.
The Hare Krsnas were already well known by San Francisco's counterculture community in 1969. In October of that year, the famous Holy Man Jam was put on by the Family Dog.
The Sky River Rock Festival in Tenino kicked off on August 30th, 1969, and quickly turned into the West Coast version of Woodstock, which was held the same year. 1969 was actually the second of three years of Sky River festivals, the first held near Sultan and Gold Bar, Washington. The '68 festival was officially the first outdoor multi-day hippie rock gathering in America. By 1970, the crowd had grown so large that the authorities shut it down. It's quite likely that the devotees made an appearance all three years, although we have yet to document it.
1969 Sky River Rock Festival Poster
The line-up of bands at the 1969 Sky River Rock festival was impressive. While lists vary somewhat, the general list includes: Anonymous Artists of America, Black Snake, Blue Bird, Cleanliness & Godliness Skiffle Band, Collectors, Congress of Wonders, James Cotton, Country Weather, Country Joe and the Fish, Crome Syrcus, Crow, Dovetail, Floating Bridge, Flying Burrito Brothers, Frumious Bandersnatch, Grapefruit, Guitar Shorty, Buddy Guy, Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks, Dr. Humbead's New Tranquility String Band, Juggernaut, Kaleidoscope, Los Flamencos de Santa Lucia, Fred McDowell, Steve Miller, New Lost City Ramblers, Pacific Gas & Electric, Peter, Terry Reid, Mike Russo, Sons of Champlin, Mark Spoelstra, Alice Stuart, Yellowstone, Youngbloods, and Elyse Weinberg.
The 1969 festival was described by historian Walt Crowley in his book, Rites of Passage: A Memoir of the Sixties in Seattle:
"For most of the month preceding the festival, it looked as if the event would never take place. Under intense pressure from police, conservatives, and the Catholic Archdiocese, virtually every county in the area passed laws prohibiting or severely restricting rock festivals. A site in Enumclaw, 30 miles southeast of Seattle in King County, was offered and then withdrawn, and producer John Chambless scrambled to find an alternative.
He ended up with a strange locale: the Rainier Hereford Ranch, a stretch of dry grassland dimpled with miniature hillocks (left behind as some glacial prank) near Tenino, south of Olympia.
The Tenino Chamber of Commerce and several adjacent property owners obtained an injunction blocking a Thurston County permit, but a sympathetic judge required the plaintiffs to post a $25,000 bond against the festival's anticipated losses. They couldn't, and at the last possible second the festival was cleared for takeoff.
An estimated 25,000 people attended over three days…"
While no shots of the devotees are found, this piece of 8mm footage may be the only film documentation of the event (includes some nudity):
Sampradaya Sun ]
