The prayer camps at Standing Rock are places for ceremony, learning, and respect. Relations with the federal government seem to be marked by acknowledgment of history and openness to mutually acceptable solutions. But relations with the police – local, state, and private security – are increasingly marked by aggression.
The report of an American Friends Service Committee delegation to Standing Rock, “We Are Our Own Medicine,” describes the encampment of Standing Rock water protectors and their supporters and allies as “places of resilience and healing dedicated to building and maintaining a decolonized society intentionally grounded in Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota culture and Ceremony.”
Prayer camps. The camps of water protectors maintain a culture of calm and spirit, in contrast to the tension and high energy that feed most political demonstrations. The report’s first finding: “This is different—first and foremost this is prayer. The whole of what is happening is a Ceremony. This Ceremony is bringing blessings to all of us and the Earth who shares her life with us.”
Space for learning. Deborah His Horse Is Thunder, and educator in a tribal college, wrote about the historic occasion for learning – for adults and children alike – at Standing Rock. She describes ”one of the most amazing gatherings of Indigenous nations ever seen,” and explains the enormous significance for Indian Country: “The Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires of the Great Sioux Nation) has convened, which has not occurred since the Battle of Greasy Grass (a.k.a. the Battle of the Little Big Horn). The council lodge erected at this encampment has not been seen by the Lakota, Dakota, Nakoda, and other tribes for many generations.”
Respectful talking. In September, President Obama directed three involved agencies – the Army Corps of Engineers, the Justice Department, and the Department of the Interior – to consult substantively with the affected tribes bordering Lake Oahe, where the pipeline is proposed to cross. The three agencies announced then that the project would not go forward on federal government lands until that consultation could be pursued. The Army Corps of Engineers sent a letter this week to Dave Archambeau, chair of the Standing Rock Sioux, the Dakota Access corporation, and Energy Transfer Partners, saying that upon review, the situation warranted further consultation with the tribe to determine whether there were conditions under which the pipeline could be installed without harm to the tribes or the water, and whether or not the Army should grant an easement for the pipeline.
The letter acknowledges
that the Great Sioux Nation has suffered repeated dispossessions, including those to support water-resources projects;
that portions of Lake Oahe remain within the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s reservation boundaries;
that the Tribe retains hunting and fishing rights in the lake, and
that the Tribe relies on Lake Oahe and the Missouri River for drinking water.”
The letter concludes, “While these discussions and analysis are ongoing, construction on or under Corps land bordering or under Lake Oahe cannot occur because the Army has not made a final decision on whether to grant an easement.”
And yet … militarized police. Late last month, hundreds of police in riot gear used pepper spray and rubber bullets to evict the Standing Rock Sioux and supporters from land nominally owned by Energy Transfer Partners, but lying within territory that was granted to the tribe by a treaty in 1868. More than 400 people have been arrested so far. Most are held temporarily in fenced-in areas within a parking garage in a nearby town, and released on bail (if they can manage bail) the next day. The Standing Rock Sioux are asking the Justice Department to review police jurisdiction and tactics, in order to keep everyone safe.
Your action? You can write to the Department of Justice using this contact form or send your own note to the U.S. Department of Justice, 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20530-0001. The Department also maintains a comment line: 202-353-1555.
In your message, please try to maintain the spirit of Oceti Sakowin,
respecting the person you address as you respect yourself, and
inviting and expecting the Department of Justice to engage with those who are responsible for security in the area to ensure that everyone stays safe.
