RegenerativeNYC’25
Barter Market
11:15 am-12:00 pm & 1:00-2:00 pm April 22
Facilitators: Spencer Lyons, Angela Ferguson, Lea Zeise
What is it: A brief introduction to barter as an economy of relationships and recognizing and honoring our value and gifts beyond the cash economy.
How to participate/What to bring: Bring at least one item or service from home to barter. Consider bringing an item that represents your heritage and culture. Examples of goods include artwork, books, beadwork, homemade foods and wellness items, jewelry, traditional foods and medicines, handmade clothing, etc. If you cannot bring physical items, consider bartering a service. Examples of services include document review, interview skills, lessons, etc. After the barter market is closed, participants will debrief about their experience.
Summary: We’re excited to introduce a dynamic and engaging activity that has been met with a lot of enthusiasm and positive feedback from participants, and we're thrilled to now bring this interactive exercise to Regenerative NYC.
This bartering activity isn’t just about exchanging goods or services; it’s designed to foster collaboration, creativity, and a deeper connection among participants. By engaging in this exercise, you'll have the chance to interact with each other in a new and meaningful way, breaking away from the usual routine and sparking conversations that might not otherwise happen. We believe this activity will offer a fresh perspective and a fun, cooperative challenge that will enrich our time together.
Why: This interactive bartering session will put trade route revitalization into action. Tribal Nations managed vibrant economies with economic ties on Turtle Island (also known as North America) long before the introduction of the cash system. Traditional trade routes laid the groundwork for today's roads and modern commerce. Reviving these routes helps build good relationships and economic growth within and between Tribal Nations. When we think beyond cash, the practice of bartering teaches us to value artisans, food producers, and craftsmen for their time and skills, cultural contributions, and expertise - not just the dollar value of their products. Traditional products, often overlooked in capitalist economies due to the time it takes to produce them, are more valuable in our communities because they connect us to our ancestors, each other, and future generations. When we revitalize barter systems, we revitalize relationships and place our values at the center of commerce.
Protocols for a Barter Market
1. NO MONEY will be exchanged during the Barter Market. We hope to revitalize the trading practices of our ancestors and wish not to shift the mindset of the bartering sessions to monetary value but to encourage everyone participating to consider the value by cultural significance, time and effort to produce each item, its history and stories behind them. If anyone wants to make any sales of any items they are welcome to step out and do so but just not during the barter market.
2. Please be respectful of each person’s trade items and do not touch any item on the barter table’s without permission from the owner first.
3. Please be mindful that some items may be very culturally significant.
4. We ask that you join our barter market with an open mind about how you trade and to consider the cultural value, history, time and effort contributed to producing each item. Each person will have their own perspective on the value of each item. Be considerate and respectful when making an offer.
5. There will be set timeframes open for the barter market. All are open to trade and participate in the barter market during the set time frames of 11:15 am-12:00 pm, then we will break for lunch where the tables will be covered and the market will be closed until 1:00-2:00 pm where we will then open the barter market for a second session. Having these time frames set allows all to participate fairly and efficiently and for folks time to gather more items they want to consider for trade.
6. There will be cards and markets where each section of the barter tables will label the owners of the goods and how to contact them. If the owners of the items are not present at their area, we remind all again that items on the tables should not be touched or trades made without their knowledge or consent.
7. If there is an item that multiple people want to make an offer for, we ask the owner to announce they are accepting bidding offers for that item(s). Please find Angela Ferguson or Lea Zeise if assistance is needed. The owner of the item will hear out the offers from all bidders one at a time, and will consider its equal trade value. Once they have made a decision, we ask that it is announced who they will choose publicly. These instances are very valuable learning opportunities for revitalizing trade practices and how to ensure positive relationships and outcomes.
8. We also ask that everyone involved again be understanding that we are trying our best to revitalize old trade practices passed down by our ancestors and that mistakes may be made on our part. Please be gentle with us as we are relearning through trial and error, and will do our best to enact conflict resolution and also make this enjoyable for everyone.