Pow Wow A Gathering of The Tribes for a Human Be Signed by Rick Griffin *Mint*

Description

About the Poster
This is a first printing, in black on buff uncoated stock signed in gold pen by the legendary Rick Griffin in mint condition.  The image is featured in the Art of Rock on page 197 (plate 2.215).
This poster measures approximately 14 1/4" x 22 1/2".
The Human Be-in was perhaps “the” culminating event of the San Francisco Psychedelic scene in the late 1960’s. As such this could arguably be considered to be the most historically important poster ever issued depicting the memorable events that were soon to come.  The Be-in was a true manifestation of the ideals of the Haight and probably the last authentic gathering before the innocence of the culture would be diluted and commercialized.
This is the event that eventually led to the infamous Summer of Love in San Francisco which made the
Haight-Ashbury
district a symbol of American
counterculture
and introduced the word "
psychedelic
" to
suburbia
.  It was a gathering for a peaceful, blissed-out day of poetry, speeches, flowers, and music from all the major Rock bands of the time playing for some 50,000 young people who grooved, in various levels of consciousness, the day away at the Polo Grounds, in Golden Gate Park. The January 14th, 1967 event was organized by the Diggers, a radical collective of improv actors who provided free food every day at the park for those who had nothing.
The Human Be-In focused on the key ideas of the
1960s counterculture
: personal empowerment, cultural and political decentralization,
communal living
,
ecological
awareness,
higher consciousness
(with the aid of psychedelic drugs), acceptance of illicit drug use, and radical
liberal
political consciousness
.  The
hippie movement
developed out of disaffected student communities around
San Francisco State
and
Berkeley
and in San Francisco's
beat generation
poets and jazz
hipsters
, who also combined a search for intuitive spontaneity with a rejection of "
middle-class
morality
".
Allen Ginsberg
personified the transition between the beat and hippie generations.
The Human Be-In took its name from a chance remark by the artist
Michael Bowen
made at the
Love Pageant Rally
.  The playful name combined
humanist
values with the scores of
sit-ins
that had been reforming college and university practices and eroding the vestiges of entrenched
segregation
, starting with the lunch counter sit-ins of 1960 in
Greensboro, North Carolina
and
Nashville, Tennessee
. The first major
teach-in
had been organized by
Students for a Democratic Society
at the
University of Michigan
, 24–25 March 1965.
This happening included all of the major figures of the day. The Human Be-In was announced on the cover of the fifth issue of the San Francisco Oracle as "A Gathering of the Tribes for a Human Be-In". The occasion was a new California law banning the use of the psychedelic drug
LSD
that had come into effect on October 6, 1966.  The speakers at the rally were all invited by Bowen, the main organizer. The Human Be-In was originally conceived as an opportunity for the San Francisco Bohemians and Berkeley radicals to join forces in celebration of their respective counter-culture ideals. The stage was taken by all the major San Francisco bands of the day, as well as Psychedelic advocates, political radicals, Beat writers and spiritualists.  It included counterculture heroes and key figures of the era like Tim Leary (making his first appearance in San Francisco), poet Allan Ginsburg, Lenore Kandel, Jerry Rubin, comedian Dick Gregory, poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Richard Alpert (later to be known as Ram Dass), Michael McClure, Gary Snyder, and Richard Alpert who spoke to the gathering of 30,000 – 50,000 while budding musical legends Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, Big Brother & The Holding Company with Janis Joplin, the Charlatans, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Country Joe & the Fish, among others made their contributions.
This is where the infamous proclamation of LSD guru Timothy Leary urged the crowd to "Tune in, turn on, and drop out" and the Hippie Nation was born.  "Underground chemist"
Owsley Stanley
provided massive amounts of his "White Lightning" LSD, specially produced for the event, to the gathered masses.
The Human Be-In was later recalled by poet
Allen Cohen
(who assisted Bowen in the organizational work,) as a necessary meld that brought together philosophically opposed factions of the current San Francisco-based counterculture: on one side, the Berkeley radicals who were tending toward increased militancy in response to the
U.S. government
's
Vietnam war
policies and on the other side, the rather non-political Haight-Ashbury hippies who urged peaceful protest. Their means were drastically different, but they held many of the same goals.
According to Cohen's own account, his friend Bowen provided much of the "organizing energy" for the event, and Bowen's personal connections also strongly influenced its character.
The counterculture that surfaced at the "Human Be-In" encouraged people to "question authority" with regards to
civil rights
,
women's rights
, and
consumer rights
. Underground newspapers and radio stations served as its
alternative media
This incredible piece of art is more than just a concert poster; it is a true piece of American history of rock and roll, drugs, counter-culture, and the role played by San Francisco.
Conditions of Sale
I have researched the value of this poster extensively and found only one being offered at ,500.  Anyone who has knowledge of its value, I would appreciate the information.
This poster looks outstanding to me, but let the pictures tell the story.
The only flaws that I can see are a tiny 1/8 inch tear on the mid-right side and a slight handling mark at the bottom center.  I have taken close-up pictures of these.  The handling mark in particular is very hard to see.  The print quality is very strong.  There are no pinholes or creases; beautiful.
Pictures are the best description on the condition of this poster.  I have taken many and will provide more upon request.
I have gone through great lengths to insure that my posters have been maintained using only archival materials.  I have preserved them on acid free paper mounted by protective corners stored flat in binders.  On most of the photos of posters that I will be offering you may notice these corner protectors.
Shipping Info :
To best insure safe shipping I will therefore recommend using USPS  Registered Mail to mail this poster flat. Due to the value of this poster, I will ship it secured in a ¼ inch custom cut “wooden sandwich”.  This will require two or three days to procure.
Additional unframed posters will be free of shipping charge.
If you purchase multiple posters, please wait for the invoice reflecting the shipping discount.
* We are not shipping internationally for this item. We are only able to ship within United States.
*We do not accept any other form of payment other than PayPal.
I will be offering more Fillmore and other Posters in the weeks and months to follow.
** Returns are not accepted for this item unless there has been an error in posting.
Refunds will be accepted at full refund cost if item sold does not match the description above.  Returned item must be in original condition as sent. Reimbursement will be for the cost of the item only.  PayPal is the only payment method.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need to see additional photos of the item and I will respond to the best of my knowledge.
The item(s) are from a smoke-free household.
Pictures are of the actual item being auctioned.