–– by Cara Russell, with Margie Doyle —
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“How can you buy or sell the sky, the warmth of the land? The idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them?” —Chief Sealth (Chief Seattle)
On Thursday, December 1, over one hundred Orcas Island residents walked away from their daily routine and joined together for a peaceful protest of prayer at the Eastsound Village Green to show their support and solidarity for the Standing Rock Sioux and their fight to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) routed through the North Dakota reservation.
The event was organized by local public group Orcas Stands with Standing Rock. The group meets Sunday evenings at the library, and this week they planned the short-notice event. “The group wanted to take the extra action this week, because the protectors at Standing Rock have been told to leave by December 5,” said Stephanie Cichy, who helped put together the protest. Their aim was to raise awareness and encourage action and donations as the camp approaches winter.
A sweet smoke permeated the air, and after everyone arrived Peter Giampietro addressed the crowd on microphone on the Village Green stage. Giampietro is Hunka relation to the residents at Standing Rock. Hunka; A Dakota/Lakota ceremony which is used to adopt a non-blood relative. He began with a tobacco prayer, then urged anyone who wished to come up, to take a little tobacco, make a prayer and place it in a bowl. Next week, they will hold another event to burn the tobacco prayers in a fire tobacco offering.
Anyone was welcome to take the stage and speak to the crowd. Many sang songs of healing and water, and others expressed the importance of taking care of each other and the planet. The group then walked down to the beach to conclude the event.
On preparing for the winter, cash donations for the camp can be made through PayPal: www.paypal.me/ocetisakowlncamp
Checks or cash may be sent to:
Oceti Sakowin Camp
P.O. Box 298
Cannon Ball, ND 58528
A list of items needed for winterization effort. Items can be donated through www.ocetisakowincamp.org/donate.
- Wood
- Tipis, yurts or other winter worthy structures
- Blankets, winter sleeping bags, sleeping mats, cots
- Insulated boots and other cold weather clothing
- Insulated gloves, work gloves
- Bulk food supplies
- Heating stoves for tents
- Propane
- Hay and hay bales
I am very concerned about the Anarchist logos that I’ve seen associated with this action here on Orcas. We lived in Seattle during the WTO protests. These protest were peaceful, except for a small number of self identified anarchists who smashed windows, destroyed property, and spray painted their logos on whatever happened to catch their fancy. Their actions tarnished the peaceful actions of others and resulted in an overall negative result. Symbols are powerful things. I would urge people to be careful of the symbols you use in association with your actions.
I also think that freedom of expression is important. when we start to expect others to conform to our vision of the world we are on thin ice. We all see things through our OWN experience and not as they may be. just a thought.