Books, Wonderful Books.

I’ve recently read these three books by Nnedi Okorafor (and Binti, of course, but that was earlier.) Reading is a good occupation in between bouts of ‘not-quite-conscious’ periods of being concussed. It’s with relief and familiarity, laced with deep comfort that I sink into Ms. Okorafor’s books. As far as I know, I have no connection to any part of Africa, and while it can take time to get the rhythm of some works, such as Lagoon, it’s the indigenous mindset I sink into with ease. Like too many other people, I am beyond weary of stories with the same rapacious, colonial mindset, populated with the ever ubiquitous straight white males. Even authors who don’t mean to write in that mindset tend to slip into it, because we’ve all been trained that viewpoint is best, it’s good, it’s great, pat on the head, now sit down and be quiet. Ms. Okorafor’s protagonists are all too human, even when they aren’t quite human. They suffer with their flaws, and struggle to cope with them, as we all do. Her protagonists are often women, which is yet another comfort. I don’t have to struggle with often squirmy, unwelcome moments when a protagonist character is male, and does something cringe inducing and deeply embarrassing. This isn’t to say there aren’t such moments in these books, there are, because there are people like that all over the place, and we all have to deal with them. They are better in the background though, where we can’t always relegate them in real life.

These books coincided with my camp life, and a strong theme through all of them is the same one at the center of the protection going on here in Ndakota: Water Is Life. Aman Iman. Mni Wiconi. There’s a natural spirituality suffused throughout the books, and I find that familiar and comforting also, because it’s the spirituality of indigenous people all over the world. She understands the need to keep traditions alive, and the fight to remain community based while embracing the wider world. This leads me into contentious territory, but I don’t see a conflict, and I don’t see the need for one, either. People were having a good talk about these issues in this thread, and while I’ve had thoughts swirling about in my shaken brain, I haven’t felt the coherence needed to tackle it. I’ll complain yet again at what a remarkably lousy language English is when it comes to certain concepts. Even when it doesn’t suck, terms are so loaded with baggage that a great many people simply can’t move past the baggage to even try and understand.

I don’t believe in gods. I don’t believe in an afterlife. I believe in the physical world, I believe in the universe, and I believe in life. There’s plenty of room in that for spirituality, and without any need whatsoever to worship anything, or be a Crystal clear running rainbow unicorn summer rain star type of person. Atheists often bring up Carl Sagan, and he always struck me as a very spiritual person, who often spoke of the numinous, a word used in an attempt to get away from the overly laden ones, like sacred or divine. Sagan was science based, but he also lived a life in appreciation and awe of life, all life. He got it, he grokked what was important – the connection of all things, of all life; the importance of all life, and the need for responsibility, care, and respect. Indigenous people believe we are obligated to care for our earth, and it’s a responsibility which has always sat seriously albeit lightly on the shoulders of indigenous people. That responsibility has become a terrible burden ever since colonialism came into the picture, bearing down with a ruthless brutality and no respect at all, for anything. If anything, the colonial attitude and way of being has become increasingly rapacious, with care for nothing except money-filled pockets. Those of us without money-filled pockets find ourselves constantly bruised from being tossed about by marketing and the propaganda screech of always needing more, more, more, more. More and more people find themselves in living situations where they have none to little contact with nature in any way, and have no sense of community, either. There are whole generations now who don’t have the slightest idea of what a community is like. That came up a lot at camp. I met people from all over the U.S. who did not want to leave, as they had never experienced anything like the camp, the community which has grown there. They were blown away by how community works, and many people were fired up and determined to go back home and start building a community there. I saw people who had definitely felt they had been missing something, but didn’t know what. When they came to the camp, they found it – community. So, can you have a sense that’s there’s a hole in you somewhere? Yes, of course you can. Will being part of a community fix everything? Nope. It will sure as hells help though, and simply being part of something larger can help to heal much of what ails people. Being a bunch of communityists is good for our non-existent souls.

There’s every reason in the world to work on a spiritual connection to our earth. When you have that, when you understand that all life is sacred, important, and connected to you and all other life, respect happens. When you have respect, you have care, awareness, mindfulness. When you have respect, you have thankfulness. Thankfulness for the energy the sun provides, for the light and the warmth. Thankfulness for the water, which is life. Water to drink, water to bathe yourself, water to cook, water to create. Thankfulness for the air, and all the plants and trees which give us so very many gifts. Thankfulness for the earth, which provides us with a foundation, and the means to grow and nourish ourselves. Thankful for all the species we are related to and their gifts to us. When you have respect and gratitude, sustainability and care are built in. It’s part and parcel of your everyday beliefs and actions. When you have that spiritual connection, you understand that you need to give at least as much as you take. A balance must be kept. This does not mean you need to turn yourself into a credulous, babbling critter. It does mean you are aware of life, all life, and the connectedness and importance of that life. Indigenous people don’t find themselves afflicted with a sudden societal based mania to poison the land they live on to destroy dandelions, or decide to pour poison all over to get rid of groundhogs. That’s because there’s a deep understanding of how things work on our earth, and they aren’t removed or disconnected from it, the way many people are now. It’s not wrong to question these idiocies, like having to maintain a golf course lawn, or why anyone would want to do that in the first place. Allowing native plants to grow is good for many other beings, like all the pollen gatherers and transporters, who in turn, help to nourish our crops so we can feed ourselves. It’s one tiny chain among many which maintains health in all of us.

Sometimes, sitting on the sidelines and listening to people talk (translation: reading along without commenting), I’m often bemused by the atheist voices I’m part of. Over the years, it’s been increasingly popular for atheists to adopt a dictionary only not in the least emotional stance. I’ll admit to being befuddled by that, because it seems a sterile isolation to confine oneself to, for no particular reason. If that really makes a person happy, okay. I have my doubts about that making anyone happy though. I’m an atheist who finds the dictionary only argument to be utterly idiotic, and it’s seriously not my thing. I want things to be better. I want people to be better. I want people to be content, more self sufficient, more thoughtful, more community based. I want people to care, and I want to effect change. That means changing myself, too. I don’t see the attraction in sitting around, sniffily denouncing this, that, and the other, while claiming not to give a damn about anything at all. I don’t see the point of that, either. There’s already enough resigned apathy afflicting people, and I don’t see any virtue in promoting that as a way of being. It’s not impossible or wrong to be spiritually connected as your way of life, your way of living.

I know this will get its fair share of sneers, disdain, and bad ‘jokes’. If that’s all you have in you, go for it. I have more inside myself, and I am not ashamed to care and expect others to care as well. I think it’s perfectly possible to be an atheist and to be spiritual as well.

I recommend reading Chief Arvol Looking Horse on the current situation we all face, the constant assaults on our earth, and the increasing destruction going on everywhere. I had the honour of listening to Chief Looking Horse at the camp several times. I first read the linked piece some time back on ICTMN, and wanted so much to share it, but I gave into fear because it is deeply spiritual, and all I could think about was mockery from those who would read, and I let that fear rule me. No more. This sickness must stop, and I must fulfill my responsibility to our earth. One of the lawyers currently working on the pipeline problem here and in Iowa has a good column up at ICTMN, which includes an excerpt from Bemidji Statement on Seventh Generation Guardianship:

“Who guards this web of life that nurtures and sustains us all?

Who watches out for the land, the sky, the fire, and the water?

Who watches out for our relatives that swim, fly, walk, or crawl?

Who watches out for the plants that are rooted in our Mother Earth?

Who watches out for the life-giving spirits that reside in the underworld?

Who tends the languages of the people and the land?

Who tends the children and the families?

Who tends the peacekeepers in our communities?

*******

We tend the relationships.

We work to prevent harm.

We create the conditions for health and wholeness.

We teach the culture and we tell the stories.

We have the sacred right and obligation to protect the common wealth of our lands and the common health of our people and all our relations for this generation and seven generations to come. We are the Guardians for the Seventh Generation.”

For anyone who has missed the basics of what’s happening, Kyle Powys Whyte has an excellent article here.

Ndakota Reality.

Breaking: Dakota Access Lake Oahe Work Stopped.

A U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. has ordered the company building the Dakota Access oil pipeline to stop construction for 20 miles on both sides of the Missouri River at Lake Oahe while the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s appeal of its denied motion to do so is considered.

“ORDERED that Dakota Access LLC be enjoined pending further order of the court from construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline for 20 miles on both sides of the Missouri River at Lake Oahe,” a three-judge panel wrote in its decision, handed down late on Friday September 16. “The purpose of this administrative injunction is to give the court sufficient opportunity to consider the emergency motion for injunction pending appeal and should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits of that motion.”

This solidifies a request by the federal government on September 9 for Energy Transfer Partners to cease construction along the same swathe, which the Standing Rock Sioux say contains sacred artifacts and ancient burial grounds.

Standing Rock Sioux Chairman David Archambault II expressed relief at the decision.

“This is a temporary administrative injunction and is meant to maintain status quo while the court decides what to do with the Tribe’s motion,” he said in a statement. “The Tribe appreciates this brief reprieve from pipeline construction and will continue to oppose this project, which will severly jeopardize its water and cultural resources. We will not rest until our lands, people, waters, and sacred sites are permanently protected from this destructive pipeline.”

Attorneys for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe—which has signed on as an intervenor in the case—faced off with Dakota Access LLC attorneys on September 15 in federal district court in Washington before the three-judge panel that will also hear the appeal: Janice Rogers Brown, Thomas B. Griffith and Cornelia T.L. Pillard. They voted 2–1 to stop the company from working, according to the order, with Brown casting the dissenting vote.

Also on Friday, a Bismarck judge dissolved the temporary restraining order on protesting that had been levied against Archambault, Tribal Council Member Dana Yellow Fat, and several other tribal members.

Full story here.

John Trudell: WE ARE POWER.

The words of John Trudell, who walked on late last year, ring out in this video by filmmakers Heather Rae, Cody Lucich and Ben Dupris, who recently spent time with the water protectors near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation who are trying to stop the Dakota Access oil pipeline’s proposed route under the Missouri River. His words, delivered in the 1980 speech We Are Power, are even more prophetic in the wake of the destruction of sacred burial grounds and the use of dogs and pepper spray against those who tried to stop it.

Full story at ICTMN.

The Walk, Part II.

Sorry this has taken so long, being concussed has left me spacey and sleepy. Okay, where to start…we were walking back, and stopped at another site, one where a dirt trail led up the hills to where DA equipment was sitting. Once again, it was time to still camera and video. The Chief spoke, and explained that the women elders were going to open the gate, and the warriors (on horseback), were going to run up to the equipment and make sure no one was still chained to them, so they wouldn’t be arrested when DA came to remove their equipment. The warriors got back, and all was well. There was prayer, and then everyone chose their particular place to scatter the tobacco they carried. Afterwards, everyone settled in on the surrounding land. There was an open time for anyone to speak, if they wished to do so, and many did. A young woman from Ecuador spoke eloquently, and often with a quaver of great emotion (3rd photo). She spoke of struggles of indigenous peoples in her home, and while they weren’t yet as bad as what is happening elsewhere, they are heading that way. She spoke of how deeply she was touched by what was happening at Standing Rock, and how important it was, that she felt compelled to travel here. We heard more about the U.S. declaration of bankruptcy in 1933. Representatives of tribes from all over spoke, talking of conditions in their particular areas and the fights they faced, how their water was being stolen* and the loss of their long time sustenance foods, such as salmon, due to dams. They spoke of generational language loss due to colonialism, and the struggle to make their languages flourish once again.

*Water is being stolen at a high rate from California tribes, rivers are being dammed and diverted to support large cities.

A young woman introduced herself and sang a prayer. Then a man who lives on indigenous land in Australia spoke (9th photo). I never once saw him out of that gear, he was one of the more memorable people in the camp. One of the most photographed, too. He spoke poignantly of the fight Indigenous Australians faced, and that he wanted to raise awareness everywhere, because much like water, these pipelines are also connected, and endangering water and life everywhere. Where water is life, the oil is death, and we need to break our dependence before it’s too late.

A young Na:tinixwe man (Hupa) spoke with overwhelming emotion of the stolen water and traditional sustenances of his people. He spoke of a time after their river (Klamath) had been dammed, young children dragged hoses from their houses to the river, trying to fill it up again. There is not a child anywhere on this earth that should feel such sadness and loss. He too spoke of language loss. He also spoke out to all the men, telling them that if they had adopted European ways of relationships, to abandon them, to be true to their own tradition, which values women and in which, it’s women who have the most important voices, as they are the dreamers, the weavers, the givers of life, the planners, the teachers, so it’s the women who must be listened to, always. As he spoke, tears often ran down his face. As an aside to his message, when we were at the first site, one of the elders who spoke was an Anishinaabeg woman. She started to speak, then mentioned how she wasn’t liked by her council because she talked too much, and the crowd of people broke out in loud, raucous cheers. In Indigenous cultures, there’s a great love of women who talk too much, who won’t be silenced, because their contributions are always needed, even if someone doesn’t want to hear what they have to say.

An elder from a newly arrived delegation from Maine spoke (11th photo), and he spoke a bit about dirt. He reached down, and scooped up a handful of dirt. He said it was a shame that in English there’s just the word dirt, which is used in negative ways, to express disgust. He let the dirt sprinkle softly down, then reached and scooped up some more, as he explained that they taught their children that when you pick up a handful of dirt, you are holding a handful of the molecules of your ancestors. That the earth, the dirt is rich in history, and it nourishes all life. It’s yet another reminder to be mindful. To be aware. To have respect. The folks from Maine also brought a truckload of moose meat.

The Tonoho O’odham elder spoke again, about the loss of much of their way of life when they lost the Gila River. He spoke of Roosevelt’s “offer” to move them to Oklahoma (translation: you walk there), and how the people refused, wanting to stay on their own land, and how so many of them died. He spoke of Sihasin, saguaro, who are guardians. He spoke about the insanity of imposed borders where he lives, and the rabid people trying to keep people out. He spoke of a time when there were no artificial borders, and of how often he crosses this border himself, to get water or medicine. He said he is always stopped, but he speaks to people in his language, which they do not understand, and they always let him go. Other people had also spoken of the imposed borders, in the attempt to keep primarily Mexicans out, and pleaded with all tribes to offer people sanctuary, as these borders are not ours.

Eventually, it was time to go back home. We enjoyed the walk, taking in all the land, stopping for a slight rest, then finally making it back into camp, where not much later, I was brained by the tent frame. :D Perhaps I should have stayed on the road longer.

Indigenous people are everywhere in the world. If you are near indigenous people, be aware of their struggles, and ask if you can help. Ask more people to be awake and help. Join those people, be aware that their struggles are also yours. Join in with all the facebook NDNs (and twitter, blogs, and other social media), and spread the word – can’t stop the signal!

The Walk, Part 1.

Yesterday, after sleeping quite late, I had enough time to wander into the communal area, snag some coffee, and cozy up to the council fire. Everyone started moving to the main camp road, and Rick was off, giving another walking stick, so I went walking too. People were walking (and some driving) the 20 miles to the site of the desecration. When Rick tried to find me and didn’t, he thought “crazy woman of mine, she’s probably walking, and ran a long way to catch up. Crazy man of mine. Lots and lots of photos here, and this is the walk to, not the full walk. (Click da images for full size.) In the 2nd photo, over to the left, you can see Joan Baez still hanging, and she went on the walk. In the 7th photo, the elder in the gray T-shirt leading is the elder of the Tonoho O’odham runners, who ran 1500 miles to join us.

I want to take some time to address someone who was being very idiotic, ignorant, and disrespectful in a thread over at Pharyngula. This person wanted to know if there were photos of the sacred sites before they were bulldozed, because there wasn’t any evidence they were actually there, and this was probably just a story people made up. All the land in these photos alone, and much more, is history. These are history books, so to speak. I have given photos, so to that person, I say, can you read the history that is there? Just because you cannot read that history does not mean it doesn’t exist. All history is not contained inside the texts that colonialists wrote. Little history is there at all. This is a land where many, many massacres took place. Hundreds upon hundreds of dead. There were no formal, white-type cemeteries set up and built, that is not the way Indigenous people did things. No temples, no cathedrals. That is not the way of this land, of these people. Back then, with massacres happening so often, many ancestors were barely buried, maybe three feet down. Not all of these sites are specifically known, but many are, because of the history carried forward through generations. To that person in the thread, I would ask what did you think you would see? Because nothing they saw would constitute proof in their mind, because they carry no learning, and no understanding. To understand, you need to break yourself out of that colonial box that has commandeered minds all over the land, all over this earth. It’s a greedy, uncaring, disrespectful way of thinking and living, and it is time for all people to break the chains of colonialism. Teach your children the necessity of respect, for all life, for our earth, rather than colonial thinking. This can end, if people care enough.

Someone else in that thread spoke of disliking seeing people in traditional dress, because it made them look like stereotypical Indians. If that sort of idiocy pops up in your head, please, shut up. Ask yourself, do I know an Indian? Do I know anything about their way of life, their culture, their language, or traditions? If you don’t, please, don’t spill ignorance. Ask, learn. We are people who live in this world, who also have thousands of years of culture and tradition with them. In that, we are no different from any other people, except perhaps, in our refusal to lose our traditions.

When we reached the site of the desecration, it was time again to shut down all recorders and cameras. The actual site which was bulldozed is not pictured, it’s up on a hill past the tipis in the last photo. After the Chief spoke, many elders spoke. One of the elders was speaking, and turned about and asked “is there a baby here, a young one? Bring them up” Several people got up and took their very young children to the center of the circle. The elder held one baby girl, and said to everyone there “remember this – today, you are standing in this girl’s past. She will remember this, and she will tell the story of this day, this time, all you standing here. She will tell this story, and her children, and grandchildren will tell this story. We stand in the children’s past, and we must stand strong and right, we are the history of their future.”

I think this is extremely important. It does not matter if you have children, I don’t, but every single one of us, we are all standing in the children’s past. All over the world. We must stand up, we must rise for what is right. We must make our voices strong, we must make a history that is strong and right for all the children to build on, to provide them with a strong and true foundation. This provides the continuing foundation for the next seven generations, and the seven to come after that. All of us adults, we are living history at this moment, and our actions, our words, they will continue on, echoing far into the future. Never think, “oh, there is nothing I can do.” Yes, there is much you can do, right where you are, no matter in the world. Be strong. Stand. Add your voice. Refuse to stay in a colonialist box. Raise your children and grandchildren with a mind to the past and the future, be a bridge. Start a garden, even better, start a community garden. Pull people in, remind them, we are meant to be a community, we are not meant to be isolated and alone. When we are good, we are great, but it must be remembered that that goodness starts with community, with care. Caring for our neighbours, caring for our elders, caring for our young people. Care for the earth, the air, the water, where ever you live. Be a protector, refuse to passively accept the lies, disregard, and disrespect of corporations who do nothing but destroy. We have this strength. We have this power. We have this voice.

There were ceremonies, but I’m not going to speak about them in any detail. The ancestors were honoured. Then we started the walk back to the second site, where there would be more ceremonies, and that will be part 2, tomorrow. I’m a bit shaky today, and back home, because there was a whirlwind in camp yesterday, and I had a tent pole frame slam into my thoracic vertebra at around 40 miles an hour. So, more tomorrow, and I’ll probably think of everything I forgot and meant to write today, yeah? I’m sure I will. :D Oh, for anyone sending supplies out – please, no more plastic utensils or styrofoam cups. Right now, the plastic utensils are being washed, because around a hundred thousand of them are being going through in a week, and while many have been sent off for recycling, we don’t want to be part of the problem in using these things. The major need right now is for wood, and I know that’s something which can’t be sent through the mail. So money is probably best, if you can part with a dollar or two, or blankets and quilts for winter. Thoughts are now on planning for the winter, which is descending quickly. We’ll be taking wood out over the next couple of weeks. For those of you who have things to send, this is where:

SHIP TO:

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
attn: Johnelle Leingang
North Standing Rock Ave
Fort Yates, North Dakota, 58538

[Read more…]

More Monday.

So much happened yesterday, so this will be a bit rambling all over. The man in the first photo, Garbanzo, came with a truckload of fresh vegetables from Minnesota, and regaled everyone with Oh Susanna on his fiddle, which put a smile on everyone’s face. Delegations kept coming in, from California and Canada, including Akwesasne (Mohawk), who have started AIM in Canada. Midnight Express, championship singers, were set up by the council fire, they were here to sing the runners in. Emmet, the 84 soon to be 85 year old runner, couldn’t stay down when they sang, he was up dancing every song. There were two women poets, very powerful, and a young woman who sang a beautiful song. I wish I had heard her name, but I missed it, but I did hear that a video she did on youtube had a million views. More people from Alberta, Canada came. One woman spoke, and her voice was a river of tears for what is happening in her homeland. A young man, a trader, came and spoke about the native traders who have been working very hard, and caused Energy Transfer and Dakota Access to lose over one billion dollars from their stock. Suicide Squad, Lunatic Fringe, and Bad Company traders in NY were largely responsible, and much thanks went out to them. Yesterday was Leonard Peltier’s birthday, and we all listened to an audio recording from him, 72 years old, and still in prison. This was, as always, great sadness, but Midnight Express sang a Happy Birthday drum song, with everyone joining in, and dancing a round dance for him, and that recording and video will be given to Leonard.

Everyone was waiting for the runners, from the Tohono O’odham. Seven of them, who ran 1500 miles to join us here. They were wearing sacred paint, and requested no video and no photos. The last part of this journey, they were facing heavy winds, which slowed them down a bit. When word came they were running into camp, followed by their singers, people lined the road to cheer them in. The elder spoke, then their singers sang several songs. It was serious cold by that time, so after supper and a while hugging the council fire, we headed off for the night. Today, we walked the 20 miles to the graves which were desecrated, and the 20 miles back, so a bit tired here. More tomorrow.

Monday, Monday.

Finally got moved, back in Oglala camp, listened to various speakers and singers this morning, and while standing in line for lunch. Robby Romero sang again, and a Native Hawaiian with an electric ukulele, and Joan Baez. Oh, the one photo is of the sage, cedar, and cansasa (chahn shah shah, tobacco, inner bark of red willow), for prayers and offerings. Heading back to the council area.

Sunday Sunset.

Click for full size.

Sunday sometime…

Trying to catch up here, when I can get a signal. Ooh, let’s see. Many elders spoke yesterday afternoon and into evening. Rick was back in the kitchen cooking frybread. Emmet (in the yellow shirt) who is 84, soon to be 85, who has been organizing runs all over the world since 1971, to spread the message that we are all related and that all life is sacred, spoke of the many places he has been in the world; and his most memorable run, in 80 below windchill, running with the four-leggeds, wild horses, and how that was such an honor, to be allowed to run with them. Dolores Taken Alive spoke, as one of the oldest residents of Standing Rock, of how it is time for our way of life to become the way of life for all people. Bear Woman spoke of the United States bankruptcy in 1933, and treason against treaties. Youth rallies will be taking place on Tuesday, to get prepared for winter. (We’ll be bringing wood in next week). There are now more flags here than the United Nations. A delegation from Samson Cree from Alberta, Canada was here yesterday, and presented their flag. Solemn people, who are fighting so hard for their land and water. A Haudenosaunee women’s group of singers came into camp, and sang two beautiful songs. A young Apache woman from New Mexico introduced herself yesterday, with a voice full of tears and joy. Robby Romero is here, and he sang Heartbeat. Joan Baez showed up last night, and there was a rap concert which lasted for hours.

A person donated a brand new Toyota truck yesterday, and today, a gorgeous bus pulled in, full of supplies, and with the news the bus was being donated, too! It was roasting hot yesterday, but the winds came up last night, and are still with us. Chill and windy windy today. Oh, also, a huge semi truck came in last night, completely loaded with wood.

Afternoon: Wambli Oyate!

Okay, wandered back to the council area, took the five walking sticks we brought to donate (ones that Rick had made), and after they were admired, they were taken over to be given to the council members. We decided to stay in the shade of the donation tent for a bit, it’s roasting hot out here today, but there’s a good prairie wind blowing. An elder made offerings in the four directions, as people came in, and people left. Those who have to leave today have been honking and waving and flying flags all the way out of the camp and down the main road, not wanting to leave. We finally shifted ourselves closer to the council fire to hear the latest news. There’s a lot going on legally, with actions planned on the state and federal front. The National Guard is now deployed solely to “protect” the governor, who is so invested in oil, he may as well be made of the stuff. The word came down that martial law training was started in Ft. Carson in Colorado. U.S. Marshals wanted to come into the camp, but they have not been invited. The regular cops want nothing to do with us.

THEN, everyone in the council area started pointing and making noises, wambli oyate (eagle people) was overhead, and hovered over the council fire a while, then flew off into the sun – everyone was standing and following his flight, then everyone there went up to get tobacco to make an offering to the wambli oyate. It was an awe and emotion filled moment.

I watched a young girl make her own amusement, and caught some of the kites as we came back to our camp.

Sunday Camp.

Some shots from yesterday, actually, when I couldn’t get a connection to post. A tipi was set up by the communal area for everyone to sign. I think another one is going to be needed! I found a small space for our name. Then there was squash drying, off behind the kitchens. We had a wonderful corn and potato soup yesterday, and now it’s time to search out coffee, I think I want about a gallon. :D

Saturday Camp.

Oh, man, it’s camp as far as you can see! Okay, starting with the right, then the middle, middle, and left. Didn’t get behind me.

The weather was beautiful, and the sunset was spectacular! The mood in the camps is a good one, but cautious. Everyone’s is still expecting another major thing to drop, because so far, the construction company has been less than honorable, as everyone knows, and while nice noises have been made, no really expects them to stop.

Affinity

Art, Fun, & Nonsense.

Randomizing a deck of cards

Science has always been political…but especially now

Meming this Mofo

Invasive but Cute

Shellshocked

I Guess I Use Social Media After All

If you can keep it

International Mens' Day?

A better masculinity, for those who don't want it

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: