 |
PUEBLO INDIAN LAND TAOS, NEW MEXICO |
Today was one of
those sunlit, rain-dark blustery Taos days, a perfect day for the
non-traditional jingle-dress dance at Taos Pueblo. Close to a hundred
people stood in a circle in the heart of Taos Pueblo village. Sharp
ululating from the women and the rhythmic boom of the big drum echoed
back and forth between the ancient adobe walls of Taos Pueblo as the
jingle-dress dancers, from age five to about seventy-five, danced in
a circle around the sacred smudge that wafted across the spectators.
BUFFALO DRINKS
This powerful
healing dance that originated in Ojibwe communities, done only by the
women, is frequently seen at pow-wows. According to The Taos News
(11-3/9-16) the dance is a fundraiser in support of the Standing Rock
Sioux, called “the Water-is-Life” fight. Over 200 Indian nations
have joined protestors at the Sacred Stone Camp in North Dakota to
protest the building of the Dakota Access Pipeline, a 1,172-mile
pipeline that would carry crude oil from the Bakken oil fields in
North Dakota to Illinois. This may well be one of the largest
gathering of the Nations in a hundred years.
 |
WATER IS LIFE |
Spirits were high at
Taos Pueblo as the clouds blew away and the sun shone on the
gathering in front of the Pueblo. Taos Pueblo Governor, the War Chief and others offered prayers, blessings and thanks.
Howard Bad Hand, a Lakota and long-time resident of Taos, also spoke,
condemning the recent violence at Standing Rock as police in riot gear shot the peaceful protestors with rubber bullets. Volunteers from Taos are
planning to caravan to North Dakota with supplies before winter sets
in.
As we were leaving Taos Pueblo, we paused to look back. The light was lucid as it
sometimes is after a storm. A thin veil of rain with the sun shining
through it created a splendid double rainbow that arched over the
Pueblo. Our prayers had been heard.
How
can you help?
1. Ask for
the Army Corps of Engineers' permit for the Dakota Access
Pipeline to be rescinded.
2. CALL:
The White House:
(202) 456-1111 or (202) 456-1414
Army Corps of
Engineers: (202) 761-5903
North Dakota
Governor Jack Dalrymple: (701) 328-2200
3. E-MAIL your
Congressional representatives and Senators.
4. SIGN the White
House petition: bit.ly/StandingRockWH
4. SUPPORT the
Sacred Stone Camp
Donate items:
http://sacredstonecamp.org/supply-list/
Contribute to
Legal Defense Fund: http://fundrazr.com/d19fAf
Contribute via
gofundme: http://bit.ly/FundStandingRock
5. JOIN events in
your area: bit.ly/NoDAPLEvents
6. SPREAD the word.
Over 200 nations demand that Dakota Access Pipeline must be stopped,
Standing Rock Sioux must be heard and the United States treaties with
them must be honored.
It was lovely to spend the time with you at the Pueblo. As usual, you've captured the moment perfectly. I am fascinated to see how this builds as a social movement. I hope it will lead to greater empowerment for Indian people--and I'm hoping those of us who are non-Indians will use this issure for the greater good of all creatures too. We're all in it together.
ReplyDelete