“Shared sorrow is half sorrow. Shared joy is double joy.” - Nigerian proverb
Ionia is a small peer support eco-village located in the forests of the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska. The unique culture here was forged by four founding families in the late 1980s. These four families came from different geographic, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds, from California working class to East Coast blue blood, as well as different kinds of internal pressures. Most of the founding adults had behavioral illness diagnoses stemming from deep troubles with their circumstances, growing up. In their chosen semi-isolation in the woods of Kasilof, through a trial and error community process, the original founding families came to believe that each individual serves an essential role in a community, just as lungs and kidneys perform vital functions in a body. They also found that all life subjects are interconnected: that in order to sustainably change one part, they had to begin to change many assumptions, inherited beliefs, and habits. To let go of the old and listen to the new, they had to find courage and curiosity, which only came from serious soul searching and the deep need for a positive direction. To nurture their gathering, they found that they had to be able to stop struggling with, and pursuing, financial gain, which seemed out of reach… So they took steps towards voluntary simplicity and pooling resources… And to be able to closely share resources, and raise their many kids together, they had to forge out a flexible, shared vision and common language… which took sitting down to meet together daily. They each had different topics which were most important to them, so they all began to dance with each other, with all their different strengths. And so, they found themselves on a spiral of building a new culture, together. This spirit of the founders has lived on into the current generations and populations of Ionia. The little eco-village remains dedicated to a plant-based diet, to living simply in harmony with nature within and without. Ionia is not a solution to all problems, yet the simple gathered life sets a precedent for walking into daunting modern challenges. Many have found that that precedent, no matter how obscure or remote, can tip the scale toward positive change. The lush gardens and log beams, simple activity, grounded ideas, and bright starlit Alaskan nights have a deeply rejuvenating and inspiring effect. Ionia has found endurance as a community and has become a force for positive change in Alaska’s behavioral health systems, local farming efforts, peer support movement, and more natural building practices. Ionia’s year-round population now hovers around 60 people, of all ages and abilities, from newborns to elders. In the warmer months, the village numbers swell with new and old friends, dozens of volunteers, as well as frequent day tours. Ionia has become well known for delicious macrobiotic cooking, pioneering spirit, peer support skills, and explorations into various natural building and growing methods. They are spoken of as “the Shire” or “our little commune”- usually with affection. Ionia often partners with Alaskan social service organizations, local food advocates, Alaskan Native tribes, and state government to organize trainings, events, and workshops that further their mission.
