Personal reflections on covering Standing Rock
- EFN Staff | March 25, 2017
I spent my winter break covering the remaining days of the camps in Standing Rock in North Dakota – an unforgettable experience. Reading and watching about Standing Rock in the news the past six months is not the same as experiencing it in person.
I left for Standing Rock on February 20th with my two friends from Regina. When we arrived, we checked into our hotel called the Prairie Knights Casino in Fort Yates which is a 10-minute drive from the camps in Standing Rock. Inside the hotel there were police officers in almost every direction of the lobby. The panick did not set in yet.
We drove towards the Oceti Sakowin (Oyate) camp but came to a halt at a police barricade. They questioned our intentions and inspected the vehicle with a flashlight and gave us the go-ahead nod. As soon as we found a parking spot, we changed into warmer clothing and rubber boots as the camp was in inches of mud.
The Oceti Sakowin camp is like being inside a petri dish with bright lights all around the hills with law enforcement vehicles everywhere – heavily monitoring inward. There were campfires everywhere with drumming and singing, war cries and water protectors chanting Mni Wiconi which means Water Is Life in the Lakota language.
My first night there I decided not to do any interviews but to observe and become familiar with the water protectors and other media inside the camp. We were welcomed into the 7th Generation Warriors Kitchen inside the camp. There were dozens of water protectors eating, mingling and watching a few guys perform some songs.
I met Myron Dewey owner of Digital Smoke Signals who is well-known for his in-depth coverage of Standing Rock since it began. Earlier that day, he made a call-out on his Facebook page for Indigenous media to document the Last Stand of Standing Rock. After I introduced myself and told him my intentions of gathering stories he told me, “be prepared to be arrested.” I was speechless and terrified. I was given a pamphlet on knowing my rights if I were to get arrested. I stepped back to regroup my thoughts and observed the water protectors inside the kitchen. There were smiles all around as the music kept everyone happy and their minds off eviction day. Eviction day was also known as the Last Stand in Standing Rock on February 22nd where law enforcements were ordered to raid the Oceti Sakowin camp starting at 2pm. I stepped outside the kitchen and I recall that gut-wrenching feeling of fear I had wondering if I made the right decision on attending. At that moment, the loneliness for my daughter set in.
The next morning we left the hotel and made our way back to camp. I walked around introducing myself to different water protectors. Many were indecisive if they were staying or leaving for eviction day. I gathered different stories and took pictures of everything possible. After spending the whole day inside the camp, we went back to the hotel to get an early sleep for the following day.
That morning we made our way towards the Oceti Sakowin camp and we were halted at the police barricade from entering. We waited at the Cannonball Pit Stop on the right side of the barricade with other water protectors. Two hours later the police chased everyone out of the pit stop so we made our way to the Sacred Stone camp which is a few hills behind the Oceti Sakowin camp. My friend Chasity and I climbed a huge hill to witness the Oceti camp raid. We headed back to the hotel and inside were many water protectors waiting for rooms to become available. A wave of sadness filled the atmosphere. Tensions raised in the lobby after police tasered a veteran/water protector. It was disheartening that it happened at a place where water protectors thought they were safe in.
The next morning Oceti Sakowin camp was completely cleared out and law enforcements made their way to raid the Rosebud camp. We fled at perfect timing. It was hard leaving from Standing Rock knowing more raids were taken place. Many water protectors were homeless and leaving with PTSD. I’ve kept in touch with some water protectors on social media and one posted she felt lost in society and was having a hard time reintegrating. The Sacred Stone camp and the Black Hoop camp were cleared on March 2nd which forced many water protectors to leave back home while others were welcomed into the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe prayer camp – the only camp left.
This experience taught me the No DAPL protest was more than a fight for clean water; it was a time of unity of all nations, bond building, a sense of a family-oriented community and belonging. They were all unarmed water protectors that used prayers and ceremonies as their only protection. Standing Rock camps will never be forgotten by the water protectors and Mni Wiconi will forever be embedded in their hearts.