Letter from Standing Rock
A view of Turtle Hill on Thanksgiving morning. Police never left the area once and those lights burned all night every night.
Note: The Sun Runner had the opportunity recently to have a correspondent visit and report on the water protectors and the stand-off at Standing Rock in North Dakota. Though technically Standing Rock is outside our editorial coverage area, it embodies much of what we try to cover - Native sovereignty and rights, and environmental preservation issues.
In addition, many representatives of Native nations across the Southwest, and others from the region, are present at Standing Rock standing up for universal concepts that reach far beyond North Dakota. We're grateful for Keith's report, and for the hospitality shown him during his time there. We will add photos to this report as they arrive. - Steve Brown
The situation there was very different than I was expecting. I ended up not taking very many photos, because I got sucked into doing some very important work with the most active group in the entire camp… The ones taking the blunt force of the front lines and racking up the most arrests. Having said that, I have some shots to share with you when Julia shares hers with me.
One of our crew building supplies for the Red Warrior camp.
In the meantime, here are my thoughts on what I experienced: -------- Back home from Standing Rock this morning and left feeling like I could have done a lot more than I did. Despite being given a gift from the Red Warrior camp for my work along side Marcos, Julia, and Jean on behalf of their people, I can't help but think of it as a drop in the bucket compared to the ongoing struggle they've been enduring for over 5 months. Other than the inexplicable ways I've been changed by this trip, the important thing I came away with that I CAN communicate is this: For anyone considering going out there, try to present yourself with a useful skill, whether it be chopping wood all day long or physically putting yourself on the front line every time there's a call to action. There are enough people there for the "experience" / "historical significance." It's more than just a once-in-a-lifetime event to them. It's not a social gathering, it's not about showing up and being loud and flipping a finger to "the man," it's not about building a camp and dancing around fires at night and feeling like you're part of something great when you stick your fist in the air, and it's not about having a great idea on how to help them and showing up to force it on them. It's about observing - carefully - and being where you are needed in the capacity that you are needed. Then, when you've fulfilled your usefulness, leaving quietly to make room for the next useful person.
Morning prayer ceremony march through camp (they go to the river and make offerings of tobacco, did this every morning).
There are wise people there making decisions; people who have been fighting like this their whole lives and who come from generations of warriors and strategists who have been doing the same. This is a direct extension of the cowboys and Indians struggle we learned about in school that we were then falsely taught to think it was all over. It's up to anyone who volunteers to be on the grounds to execute their plans in a way that will communicate the carefully-shaped message they are trying to get across. Make sure that your presence in the matter clarifies the message and doesn't further muddy it. Lastly, say what you will about the controversy of some of the direct action, but donations to people like the Red Warrior Camp (find them on Facebook), who are taking the bulk of the bullets, hoses, and dog attacks, that help them get out of jail repeatedly, help them winterize their living situation, and help them keep putting their bodies on the line day after day, are a great way to help out without needing to physically be there. Big thanks to Red Dog for letting us help you all so closely.
Full camp Thanksgiving morning during the first snow of the season.
Oh, and one last thought. The militarized police and the tactics they are deploying day and night to make life hell out there is a related - but separate - issue to the injustice of the pipeline being built without consulting the Standing Rock Sioux. Most of the news coverage I see is about police brutality, so try not to focus your anger and discussion on only that while dropping the ball on the original issues of moving the pipeline and forever respecting Native Americans as sovereign people with their own lands and rights, taking more care regarding the water supply for hundreds of thousands of people, and STEERING AWAY FROM EXPANDING OUR OIL INFRASTRUCTURE TO BEGIN WITH.
Sign post pointing to various tribe locations and places.
Small gathering near the bridge blockade on the highway where people were trapped between burned cars getting sprayed by cold water a few days before.
People holding hands in prayer at Turtle Hill while officers look down from above.
