Zendik Farm Arts Cooperative

The Zendik^[i] Farm Arts Cooperative was an American communal group that existed under the leadership of Wulf Zendik (1920-1999) and Arol Wulf (1938-2012) from 1969 through 2013. During its forty-four year existence, the group settled on different ranches and farms in California, Florida, Texas, and finally North Carolina and West Virginia, the membership at various times apparently reaching upward of sixty people.

The Zendiks were generally referred to in the press as hippies or eco-warriors, and were noted for their advocacy of what they called "Ecolibrium" and "Creavolution" to prevent the "Ecollapse" that would be brought about by the "Death Culture" of the "squares," these messages being promulgated in the form of mimeographed zines and music albums that member "Road Warriors" hawked in cities near whatever was their current communal space. Internally, according to former members, the group was strictly hierarchical or authoritarian, imposing such social mores as daily group therapy and "erosocial" committees that would approve or deny sexual coupling, among other lifestyle mandates.

Selected Publications

Books

Zendik, Wulf (1990), Blackhawk: Diary of an Eco-Warrior, Bastrop, Texas: Zendik Farm

Periodicals

Ecolibrium Interviews (1984-1985) — see: https://www.afka.net/Mags/Ecolibrium_Interviews.htm
Zendik Tribe — see: https://www.afka.net/Mags/Zendik_Tribe.htm

Selected Filmography

https://archive.org/search?query=subject%3A%22Zendik%22, including videos by Fawn Wulf

Press Coverage

Mendoza, Henry (26 Jun. 1972), "Zendik Farm -- Psychedelic And Far Out", The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, CA): B-1, B-2, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122640431/zendik-farm-psychedelic-and-far-out/
Gorman, Tom (19 Apr 1987), "Commune Unplugs Itself From the World in a(n) Effort to Save It", The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, CA): B-6, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122640720/commune-unplugs-itself-from-the-world/ — see also another printing with more photos: Commune Unplugs From the World To Save It (CC-1, CC-7)
Perry, Anthony (9 Feb. 1988), "Artists Commune Plans to ZAP Political Apathy", Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, CA): latimes.com, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-02-09-me-41444-story.html
Bold, Kathryn (28 Feb. 1988), "Zendik: 'The original idea was to form a musicians' co-op.'", Times-Advocate (Escondido, CA): C-1, C-3, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122643338/zendik-the-original-idea-was-to-form/
Grim, Ryan (4 Nov. 2005), "Who Are These People?", Washington City Paper (Washington, D.C.: washingtoncitypaper.com), https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/242579/who-are-these-people/

Reading

Zuman, Helen (11 Jun. 2019), A Tangled Web: Sex at Zendik Farm, ic.org, https://www.ic.org/tangled-web-sex-zendik-farm/ — re: an ex-member recounts their experiences of the group's hierarchical rules, particularly regarding community sanction of sexual partners

Resources

Zendik: Discussion in 'Communal Living' started by FREE, May 22, 2004., hipforums.com, https://www.hipforums.com/forum/threads/zendik.4641/ — first-hand accounts (and public arguments) regarding the commune from 2004-2005

Notes

↑ The concept of zendik as heretic is from the Middle Persian (𐭦𐭭𐭣𐭩𐭪, zandik), a term that originated among the Zoroastrians, later being adopted in Arabic (زِنْدِيق‎, zindīq) as a loan word with the same meaning. The Zendik commune used the word likewise, though attributed it to Sanskrit rather than Persian or Arabic.

[1] The concept of zendik as heretic is from the Middle Persian (𐭦𐭭𐭣𐭩𐭪, zandik), a term that originated among the Zoroastrians, later being adopted in Arabic (زِنْدِيق‎, zindīq) as a loan word with the same meaning. The Zendik commune used the word likewise, though attributed it to Sanskrit rather than Persian or Arabic.

[i]