The American Friends Service Committee sent a delegation to visit for four days with the prayer circles established near the Cannonball River in North Dakota, the site for the ceremonies of the water protectors, the Standing Rock Sioux and their allies.
The report from the delegates, “We Are Our Own Medicine,” describes the prayer camps as “places of resilience and healing dedicated to building and maintaining a decolonized society intentionally grounded in Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota culture and Ceremony.”
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.”
The report includes recommendations for those who would be of service, and policy recommendations for the Department of Justice and the federal government. Read the full report here.