The Meaning of Life.. at Standing Rock
I've been here 6 weeks now, and today, the veterans arrived.
A permit was denied, and there was great celebration.
Over 2000 announced themselves by registering. How many are actually here, is significantly more than this, and their families and support teams came too. The line to get to camp stretched and curved to the South around the hills and out of sight all day long. People were still pouring in after dark as Unci (Grandmother) and I headed up to the Prairie Knights Casino for a night at the hotel we had reserved weeks before.
This is where I am now, sitting in the buffet dining room this morning to begin chronicling the stories of the past 42 days.
This picture was taken last time I stayed at this casino and started learning how to use Steemit:
And this is Unci, the grandmother I was in jail with after being arrested on October 27th during a prayer ceremony with elders from many nations.
Unci (Rachelle Figueroa) and I have connected deeply personally and through our work; we are SO grateful to Creator for uniting our paths here at Standing Rock. Much humor is found in the story of our coming together.. and too there is sorrow, and miracles. More of this to come in later stories!
Unci and I stay in a winter shelter at the Sicangu Oyate Camp known as Rosebud, because it was first started by the Sicangu Sioux People of the Rosebud Reservation who chose to camp on the South side of the Cannonball River, which is Standing Rock Sioux Reservation land.
The rest of Oceti Sakowin (Seven Councils Fire of the Sioux Nations) Camp is just across the river on land that according to the US Government is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers. There are a lot of lies, a legacy of theft, and a long history of deceit that are being revealed through the actions taken regarding this Stand.
The Army Corps issued a permit to allow Water Protectors use of this land for the exercise of their First Amendment right to free speech, then rescinded that and ordered everyone leave by December 5th.
That's today, and since the letter was posted, people from all over the world have been pouring in, more and more winter shelters and structures are being built, and the next steps are being taken.
42 days ago, Andy Clark and I set up his Burning Man Carport, put a tent inside, and made a home at Standing Rock.
We're still standing.
Everyone at Standing Rock is doing a really fantastic job. This fight is not just for the Native Americans, but for all of us. Finding alternatives to energy is the future I want my children to grow up in. Thank you for your service to a great cause! Upvoted and followed :)
You're right, this fight is for all of us. We need to protect our water and environment as it should be and stop corporate greed from destroying it and trampling on our basic rights.
Agreed. Myself and a number of friends have been spreading the message to close down accounts with Chase, Wells-Fargo, Bank of America, and Citibank, as they are backing this awful pipeline. Encouraging people to go to their local credit unions who, like steemit, are backed by the members. I should do a write-up on this ;)
That's a great idea. I have closed all my bank accounts except for my local bank that invests locally and am eventually moving all my financial transactions to the blockchains. We have the power to effect change with our spending. Money is like votes.
That's the way I'm headed to. My husband has been mining for and investing in bit coin since it was introduced, and trading among the new e-currencies. He's the one who discovered steemit and has a lot of faith in where its going, as do I.
I'm so proud of you for doing this. Keep on fighting for our rights.
Jeff did join and post on Steemit and you can read his posts here.
https://steemit.com/@jeffkimes
Also, I made a quick post to get the word out and just posted it here.
https://steemit.com/news/@luzcypher/my-friend-is-at-the-standing-rock-protest-fighting-on-our-behalf-please-welcome-her-to-steemit
Upvoted your post and Resteemed it and any rewards made from my post I will transfer to you. Keep up the good work girl.
Thank you @luzcypher! We've been in full on storm preparation and evacuation mode.. I'm on the prep side and the helping others evacuate side of that equation, so I won't be home just yet..
Not sure I want to stay in this more than the next 2 weeks it will take to wind out the projects I'm currently still working. It's cold. REALLY cold, and I didn't really sleep last night keeping the home fire burning and the food and water from freezing.. which means they need to be right next to each other.. tricky things.
Snowed here last night but I imagine it's worst there.
Thank you for sharing this. I'm glad the Army Coprs of Engineers decided to reroute the pipeline. I wish we would stop investing in fossil fuel infrastructure and invest more in renewable energy. I have solar panels on my house and they work great. Thank you again.
Thank you! And welcome to Steemit!
Thank you <3
It's not over till it's over! Rock on!
Thanks for fighting. We learn from you guys how to do it. They will try to frack here too, Germany. Aho!
Congratulations on getting your first post out there and having it picked up by Project Curie.
Here's the link
This will unite us all, blessings to all of you that could go...thank you for your courage and determination. Welcome to Steemit!
https://steemit.com/steemit/@luzcypher/we-all-need-somebody-to-lean-on-helping-your-friends-get-off-to-a-good-start-on-steemit