Featuring lettering by a luxe contraband, this 12-page calendar celebrates the beauty of water as seen from the California coast. Each month includes a postcard and a quote by an inspiring woman.
Please consider donating to Sacred Stone’s camp if you can–since it’s winter they are currently experiencing below-freezing temperatures, and they are in dire need of the following items:
Firewood (preferably oak, maple, ash)
Tipi/Tipi poles/Tipi liners for winter
Pick-up truck with a 4 wheel drive
Trailer/campers (for winter shelters)
Snow tires - various sizes; tire chains
Gas cards
Wall tents with wood stoves and poles
Sleeping bags for subzero temperatures (including military style)
You can send these supplies or anything else off of their supply list, cash or check donations to:
Sacred Stone Camp P.O. Box 1011 Fort Yates, ND 58538
If you send mail/packages to individuals to our addresses: Please include a contact email or phone number on the package/letter so we can find the individual. If you can’t include it on the mail itself please send a text to (701) 301-2238 saying if it’s a letter or a package, who it is addressed to, and how to contact that person so we can get it to them. Also make sure the person you are sending it to is at Sacred Stone Camp, not Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, Red Warrior, Rosebud, or the other camps. We only accept mail for Sacred Stone Camp. If you don’t know, please ask the person you are sending to.
At this time the camp has a surplus of clothes and encourage you to buy things from our Amazon list instead of sending old clothes.
Please be aware that the camp only has limited solar and wind power at the camps.
TOP NEEDS
Firewood (preferably oak, maple, ash) *NEED
Tipi/Tipi poles/Tipi liners for winter
Pick-up truck with a 4 wheel drive
Trailer/campers (for winter shelters)
Snow tires - various sizes; tire chains
Gas cards
Wall tents with wood stoves and poles
Sleeping bags for subzero temperatures (including military style)
If you live in American, you’ve likely heard of the ongoing struggle taking place at the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota. There, hundreds of protestors are standing their ground against both Dakota Access LLC (Energy Transfer Partners) and the militaristic police presence. The police force in this area has ordered and deployed vicious assaults against the peaceful protestors in the form of attack dogs, rubber bullets, tear gas, and more.
What Is The Dakota Access Pipeline?
The Dakota Access Pipeline is a proposed crude oil pipeline that has been approved by The US Army Corps of Engineers in July 2016. The pipeline would run underground from North Dakota to Illinois by way of South Dakota and Iowa. (x)
Why Is DAPL Bad?
The Dakota Access Pipeline is opposed because of several reasons. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe stated in their filed complaint in federal court that “the construction and operation of the pipeline…threatens the Tribe’s environment and economic well-being, and would damage and destroy sites of great historic, religious, and cultural significance to the Tribe.” (x) The construction of DAPL would disturb the environment and very possibly contaminate the natural water sources that the locals rely on. In addition, many feel that resources would be better spent investing in alternative energy sources.
What Can We Do To Help Right Now?
Even if you are not able to travel to Standing Rock to join the protesters, there are many ways to contribute to their cause and to their protection and well being.
Please share and participate if you are able! Help us meet the ask of the people who are putting their lives on the line.
Photo text reads:
“Hello, my name is ________, and I stand with the water protectors at Standing Rock. I demand that the Army Corps of Engineers, Morton County Police and Highway Patrol, and National Guard rescind the evacuation notice. Not only is this environmental racism, but it violates yet another binding agreement between the United States and this land’s indigenous peoples. Additionally, we demand that no government body hinder or prevent any efforts to provide emergency supplies or any resources that the climate necessitates. Both the statement from the Army Corps of Engineers as well as the evacuation notice from Governor Jack Dalrymple are creating unsafe and potentially lethal sets of circumstances for the water protectors. These decisions are hypocritical in nature since they claim to be concerned for the health of the water protectors while depriving the Oceti Sakowin camp of the means to remain healthy in a harsh climate.
The DAPL means environmental disaster for indigenous people who live on the land, and the planned illegal eviction of the Oceti Sakowin camp endangers the lives of the water protectors who recognize the hazardous consequences of the pipeline. Be on the side of history that stands up for democracy, indigenous rights, and a sustainable future for generations to come. Water is Life.”
Apparently the situation at Standing Rock is being made worse because white people are going there just for the “cultural experience” and treating it like it’s a vacation. If you can’t be respectful and cognizant of the protocols in place at Standing Rock, then it would help everyone out more for you to just stay home (and there absolutely are measures that you can take to support Standing Rock and NoDAPL that don’t involve actual protesting–there’s nothing wrong with supporting from a distance if you’re worried that your presence at Standing Rock will not be received well for whatever reason).
Be respectful. Take the time to actually learn about the traditions in place before you go to Standing Rock. Talk with the Native people there. Leave the camp the same way that it was when you got there (or better). Don’t make it all about your own personal feelings or how you think these demonstrations should go. It’s not about you, and if you’re going to Standing Rock you better be the best ally you can. Native people and sites are not your playthings, so stop treating them like they are.
[[Image Description: A set of three screenshots of a FB post made by Alicia Smith, which read:
“On my way back from the camps. Need to get something off my chest that I witnessed and found very disturbing in my brief time there that I believe many others have started to speak up about as well. White people are colonizing the camps. I mean that seriously. Plymouth rock seriously. They are coming in, taking food, clothing and occupying space without any desire to participate in camp maintenance and without respect of tribal protocols.
“These people are treating it like it is Burning Man or The Rainbow Gathering and I even witnessed several wandering in and out of camps comparing it to those festivals. Waiting with big smiles expectantly for us to give them a necklace and an ‘indian’ name while our camp leader was speaking.They are literally subsisting entirely off of the generosity of the native people (AND YOUR DONATIONS if you have been donating) who are fighting to protect their water just because they can. Some literally will not even prepare food but will take food that is prepared, again, having not done anything else all day.
“An elder, who I respect dearly, was screamed at by a young woman who was already warned once about disrespecting protocol. She was neither native, nor LGBTQ, but was occupying a camp for 2 spirit people. This girl also said ‘ancestors don’t matter we should just love each other.’ It gets worse, I saw affluent looking white people participating in ceremony and then standing off to the side to smoke and talk about their travels in Australia before it was even halfway over. I listened to a man on the phone with his friends telling them to all come because he thinks it’s such a great 'cultural experience.’ Yesterday I spent all day with some wonderful people at the 2 spirit camp building a new pier for the morning water ceremonies, only to learn that our 2 spirit elder was forced out of the ceremony the next day, their position occupied by white women.
“Last night, a dozen or so white people were running camp to camp telling people the cops were going to raid the camp and everyone needed to block the bridge right now. These agitators unnecessarily wanted to put people in danger of being arrested just so their picture might go viral. With complete disregard for the agreement one of the camp leaders told us about, between the police and the camp, to keep the bridge clear. I saw a couple of good allies while I was there. A young white woman who jumped in front of a truck to stop it from running over one of our elders. The man driving got out with a gun and fired it over her head and she did not move. This girl is in my heart forever. A white man also came out in the mud with us to help construct the pier. Both did this humbly and respectfully and obviously to the betterment of the camp itself and to these people who never even asked for a thank you, I thank them anyway.
“I am writing all this to say that if you want to come, or know someone who does, tell them to really search their heart and ask themselves why. And instead to maybe thinking about sending money or supplies to help winterize the camp. The first snow is supposed to fall Thursday. And to be honest I am worried for our warriors.”
Transcript for fourth screenshot can be found at the above link or here.]]
Deerinwater pointed to Capital PridesponsorWells Fargo’s involvement in the Dakota Access Pipeline, which spawned protests from the Standing Rock Sioux and allies, as one reason for concern, ‘Wells Fargo is one of the primary financial backers of the Dakota Access Pipeline,” she said. “As an indigenous person and as a queer person, I cannot understand why Capital Pride would work with an organization that is actively causing harm to our community members.” ~Indigenous Resistance: Crushing Colonialism
[via Rabia’s Riff newsletter / WakingUpTogether.org.] “ We are now in the time we have been waiting for. 2016 will be remembered as the year Americans finally woke up to the imminent breakdown of our global ecosystem and the injustices inherent in corporate capitalism. We needed a shock to rouse us from the economic and technological slumber in which we have so comfortably taken refuge since the 1950’s.
In 2016 many events came together to provide that jolt to our collective system: • Political Corruption — the publication of Dark Money, Jane Mayer’s exposé of the ultra-conservative billionaires who bought out our political and judicial systems; • Corporate Fraud — the release of findings showing that ExxonMobil knew for more than 30 years that burning carbon was heating up the atmosphere with disastrous results, while continuing to fund climate deniers to deliberately confuse the American electorate; • Hate Mongering — the fact that sexism, harassment, racism and xenophobia have now become “politically correct”; • Citizen Activism — the Democracy Spring march on Washington, D.C., challenging Citizens United and big money in politics, and the powerful encampment at Standing Rock to halt the Dakota Access Pipeline; and • Political Discontent — the deeply polarizing presidential campaign and the surprise election of Donald Trump.
There is no doubt that the dissolution of the old order is now officially in progress, and things are only going to intensify. Because so much of our country still believes the misinformation spread by special interests, the environment and the economy may have to get much worse before the needed changes are put in place.
SO… is there any good news? There is a silver lining to this dark time: these crises are the very things that are triggering a major revolution, one that can lead us to a renewal of spiritual gratitude, ecological sustainability, social justice, and the understanding that self-interest is not the true goal of human life. Beautiful, hopeful, inspiring messages are already beginning to surface. (Click here to watch “I Trust You” video).
As the breathtaking victory at Standing Rock demonstrated, people are waking up. That victory was made possible by hundreds of thousands of acts of solidarity. For some it meant traveling to North Dakota, facing night after night of cold weather and police brutality. For others it meant organizing solidarity marches and rallies, spreading the word, signing petitions, pulling money out of banks funding the pipeline, and having tough conversations at the office and at the dinner table.
Elias and I witnessed first-hand the resolve of those gathered at Standing Rock, and the new sense of community that took root there: a growing tribe of all ages and backgrounds, unified in people’s willingness to stand up for justice, sacredness, and the health of the planet.
We all have been through dangerous times before; it is one of the ways we grow. If you have lived a vital life, you almost certainly have navigated many crises. In truth, real breakthroughs usually only come out of crises. And while being in the middle of a crisis can feel chaotic and scary, a crisis is what we want. Let’s welcome it!
As Clarissa Pinkola Estes reminds us, “We were made for these times.” Literally. Our DNA has evolved over a million years by turning dangers into opportunities. If you (and your ancestors) weren’t skilled in this particular wizardry, you wouldn’t be here now.
So this is the first silver lining: we have what it takes. At this very moment many writers, spokespeople, activists and leaders in various fields are writing inspiring essays and speaking up to remind us of this truth. We need to support these women and men. We need to shift our attention away from the “pundits” and media dogs who are paid to muddy the waters and distract us, who erode our self-esteem, who make us think we are helpless and isolated — and who convince us that we will only feel safe and whole and happy if we buy new and better “stuff.” We need to turn our attention instead to the women and men who focus on the true and the heartfelt, who are telling the new story about empathy, cooperation, justice, and community.
The second light in the sky is that we know what to do. Or at least where to begin. We do not lack for well-thought-out scenarios for the sustainability revolution that has to happen. Some of these ideas are already being adopted at the local level. Forward-thinking governors, mayors, and NGO leaders are linking cities and regions together to reduce energy consumption in order to adapt to unavoidable climate change. Many other plausible next steps can be found in the margins, in organizations and practices we call alternative, regenerative, and holistic.
Of course the road ahead will be filled with uncertainty; the challenges we face are many and complex. It will take time to work out exactly how we are going to share resources, devise necessary restraints, design neighborhoods, manage transportation, and address infrastructure needs — not to mention restoring health to the natural systems we have destroyed. However…
The third shining light is that we’re not in this alone. As the victory at Standing Rock demonstrates, the number of Americans who are already galvanizing is sizable, and growing daily. Fortunately, there are already many networks in place ready to work together and take action. We will need to rely more and more on these networks as a source of news and information, because much of the revolution will be hidden from us. The major news outlets only began covering Standing Rock when the number of people camped there passed the 5,000 mark — in other words, when not covering that story became an embarrassment.
I’ve done my share of activism, but the events of this last year — and especially of this last election — have inspired me to get involved at a level I’ve never before engaged in. It is a scary time, but it is also an exciting time. My hope is that you, too, will answer the call in whatever ways feel most meaningful to you. Alone we can do very little; but together, we can change the world. “ — Elizabeth Rabia Roberts http://wakinguptogether.org/
Currently I’m so happy to see my family but totally disgusted with the fact that this holiday celebrates the genocide of the indigenous peoples of this country. It’s happening today, right now in 2016. #standwithstandingrock #nodapl #deadinside #me #morticiaaddams #altgirl #girlswithtattoos #goth (at Eugene, Oregon)
FOLLOW ARTIST @thundervoice_eagle - “One of the first images I saw from standing rock was the March to the gravesite. Sioux tribe’s response to a pipeline on treaty land was to file a site survey to prove that the gravesite was on the pipe’s path; which would stop the construction of the oil pipe. The next morning the rumble of bulldozers echoed the valley moving 20 miles directly to the ancient cemetery. Women, men, elders and youth ran to their grandparents bones to stop the atrocity, but were met by hired security with attack dogs. I watched in unbelief. Bulldozers removing evidence before the survey could be done while dogs were released on my brothers and sisters; Elders and youth.
"My heart ached.
"How could I be still? How could I not feel sick? But as this scene replayed over and over in my mind. I began to realize there was more to it. In the midst of this horrific sight– They stood strong. They were fearless! Without a doubt;They were warriors!
#nativeamerican #native #nativeland #heartatpeace #nodapl #standingrock inspired by native women : @kellilovemusic & @indiblissdesigns ✊ - #decolonize
It’s not unreasonable to stand against a force that threatens our ecosystem, disrespects an already abused nation and ignores all present and long-term consequences of oil contamination in the name of profit.
it’s kinda crazy i haven’t seen ppl bring it up in the noDAPL discourse, but like…i feel like ppl don’t realize, aside from the fact that tribes have treaty rights and sovereign rights and human rights that all require access to clean drinking water and the ability to act as caretakers of their lands….tribes are an additional 5 rungs up the morals ladder or whatever bc they ROUTINELY request permissions/assistance in investing in renewable energy and are ROUTINELY passed over.
example: in northern Montana, the wind blows really hard pretty much every day. like, it blows so hard that it can blow empty boxcars off the train tracks. so some ppl thought it would be good to build wind turbines out there. the Blackfeet tribe was like, hey yeah we wanna have wind turbines on our rez, we have high winds and wanna invest in cleaner and more affordable energy. then they got passed over and the wind turbines were built just outside the reservation boundaries, in a white border town.
another example: the Northern Cheyenne tribe DID actually build wind turbines, which is awesome. they have also fought really hard to have pristine air quality. but nearby coal mining has totally fucked over the surrounding area (which are Cheyenne treaty lands), and some towns on the rez still don’t have clean drinking water (they have to haul it from springs bc the tap water comes out orange and is undrinkable). as recently as earlier this year, there were still applications in for expansion of coal mining in the area (despite YEARS of consistent protest from the tribe), including on a sacred site.
tribes work really hard to invest in clean energy, and to take care of their homelands, despite continued disrespect and desecration of their lands by others. another example is the MULTIPLE tribal colleges that have invested in clean energy, like solar panels (including the Blackfeet tribe’s college).
so yes, we have EVERY RIGHT to say no to dirty energy on our lands
The DAPL news is definitely something to be proud of but don’t think that the work is done. Jan Hasselman, who serves as an attorney for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, said that the Energy Transfer Partners can still sue this decision, and Trump can try to overturn it. This is a lengthy process that will takes years (with a better explanation why below) and we need to watch it as decisions are made. Remember the pipeline is still being built and it’s going somewhere.
[Text reads: I do admin law for a living so let me explain how this corps decision plays out. The refusal to grant the easement stop the pipelines… for now. Trump could easily reverse it. But, the decision to order an EIS delays the pipeline for at least several years. If Trump orders the corps to stop the EIS process, several groups will sue, arguing that the reversal is arbitrary and capricious. And they will likely win, which means the EIS will be completed. That takes 2+ years. If the EIS ultimately recommends the same of similar route, several groups will sue, delaying it for 2+ more years. 1 year for suit in federal court, and 2 more year for appeal. Bottom line: decision to order an EIS that Trump probably cannot force a pipeline through same/similar route for 4+ years.]
We also have to remember that many water protectors are still going to be needing help with medical and legal funds so keep an eye out how to still help.
