Daily Life, Connections and True Education

Each day I was blessed to connect with at least one new person who greatly expanded my mind.  From the friends I made while helping with security, to the sit down conversations I shared with Lakota Youth members, and other Natives that shared their stories of life with me.  Each person touched my heart greatly and I immediately felt a sense of love for them.  Whether it be because we were all working wholeheartedly for this important mission, or other reasons, these connections were true, meaningful and strong. 

We talked of history, the battle of Wounded Knee as one young guy was from Wounded Knee.  We talked of strategic ideas, past anomousity between whites and natives and both agreed that there is no room for that in this new paradigm.  They identified and helped to relieve me of my “white guilt”.  I was struggling at first- feeling like I had to go over and above to make up for the atrocities our ancestors. In true Native nature, they showed me love and compassion, and were wise and forgiving in their words to me.  We ,in our small conversations were consciously agreeing to move forward together, and create new solidarity as humans, as warriors for the people and nature forgetting the color differences of our skin, the past,  and focusing on the work to be done for the future.

I spent several nights awake, watching the gate, seeing the sunset, the moonrise, the amazing view of stars, the moonset, and then the sunrise.  Watching it over this beautiful open country further stirs your desire to protect it, as you can literally feel the energy of the river in front of you and the earth beneath your feet.  The quiet night, and darkness where at times the only sound heard was the crying coyotes , and the crackling fire makes your world and mind go in slow motion.  This silence is profound, clarifying, cleansing in comparison to the fast paced lives many of us come from. 

The non existence of quantified time is another blessing that truly allows your spirit to soften.  I truly believe our society’s demand for a constant schedule creates a deep anxiety in our souls.   There was never a talk of which oclock it was -or to be somewhere at a specific time.  Our prayers began at sunrise when you heard a loud speaker call for the water protectors.  Sleep often began at night, because all day was for work and preparation, and when the sun set, often times dancing began and later people sleep, all in their own time.   Even though you are operating on this non-schedule, its amazing to watch as a natural sync begins among the people and place.  Its surprising, and so beautiful.  Most people are so mindful of the others, there is little need to worry about self.  Often, as you begin to struggle for something, before you even have to ask for help, someone is aiding you.  It’s a beautiful, refreshing way of life. 

Keep in mind, I am trying to convey many positive moments and I had the blessing of spending a vast amount of my time just as the militarization of police was happening.  We had planes and helicopters flying over constantly, we stood face to face with police in riot gear, we watched our brothers and sisters dragged across lines that the police established and be arrested and treated unfairly, but this was far less than what has escalated in the past week or so.