Stone Spirit Camp at Standing Rock has become a city with its own infrastructure

In what has become the largest gathering of Native Americans in probably all of history, the Stone Spirit Camp at Standing Rock in protest of the North Dakota Access Pipeline has grown into its own city with infrastructure, schools, clinics and restaurants to feed the people. #NoDAPL

In response to the government cutting off their water supply several weeks ago, a city of several thousand Native and non-Native protectors of the water came together when the Standing Rock tribe took action. The following link is to a blog written by a non-Native blogger named Mark Sundeen who traveled to the camp and stayed among the Natives there. His blog really shows in great detail what is happening there, the feeling among those in the camp and the true atmosphere of this truly historical event. Here is what he had to say about the city that emerged after the water supply was cut off…

What's happening at Standing Rock

Within hours, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe had hauled in its own infrastructure: banks of Porta-Potties, water tankers, a disaster response trailer, Dumpsters, ambulances, a refrigerated semi truck. Meanwhile, each delegation arrived with cash and food. Tons of food. I spent a day cooking meatball stew in the main kitchen and discovered, among other abundances, a four-person tent stacked to the ceiling with bags of flour. The tribe also had its own beef production enterprise. The Yakima Nation in Washington chartered a tractor trailer filled with pallets of fresh fruit and bottled water. Small donations were also received: somebody mailed four packets of Lipton noodles. When I asked how long they planned to the stay, most said, “Till the end.”

An incredible outpouring of donations of everything from water to tents and blankets has flooded into the camp. The “protectors” have made it clear they are going nowhere and just today, the Army Corps of Engineers has granted them a temporary use permit to continue to use the land. This largest city in Indian Country (aside from cities like Gallup, NM where there are a majority population of Natives) has grown into having supplies, and more supplies being shipped, to prepare them all for the long cold winter that’s on the horizon.

Here is a photo from a new CBS story about the camp that has turned into a city. This photo shows a mountain of food, clothes and water donated by the masses.



North Dakota pipeline protest a city unto itself

Here is a great passage from Sundeen talking about the food operations and the overall feeling within the camp…

A series of kitchens were open around the clock to feed free meals to about 1,000 people. A microphone was open to just about anyone, and throughout the long, hot days, one wayfarer after another described how wonderful it was to be here, how much it meant to see Native Americans from all the nations gathered in common purpose. While I saw passion and anger and solemnity, the main thing I saw was joy. Travelers were reuniting with long-lost relatives. Parents brought small children, and an impromptu homeschool taught them to ride horses and make fry bread. T-shirts and banners with wry slogans like NATIVES WITH ATTITUDE and STRAIGHT OUTTA PINE RIDGE hinted at youth, pride, and immersion in political pop culture. A truckful of teenage boys rolled past a trio of pretty girls and hollered, hopefully, “What tribe are you from?” There was singing and dancing and praying, sweat lodges and kayaks and swimming—a regular Native American paradise.

I’ve been worried about what the people were going to do for warmth through the long winter ahead. Here is a quote from the CBS news article…

"I'm pretty sure by winter there will be some buildings up," said Jonathon Edwards, 36, a member of the Standing Rock tribe

And, just yesterday this load of wood was delivered to the camp. Here is a photo of a logging truck load of 65,000 lbs of wood donated by the Menominee Indian Nation and Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican tribe, both of Wisconsin and the woodlands. This was also done through contribution from the National Indian Gaming Association. I’m hoping more shipments of wood will come in.



Never before have the Native people come together like this. It’s truly a magical and inspiring cause. The many friends I know who have been to the camp say it’s an amazing experience and they say to all if you have thought about going to Standing Rock or plan to.. then GO!

The Spirit Stone Camp and all the others at the Cannon Ball, ND has truly become a city made of tents, teepees and wigwams with its very own infrastructure, as the CBS story highlights.

Here are some key quotes from that article…

Tribal flags, horses, tents, hand-built shelters and teepees dominate one of the biggest, newest communities in North Dakota, built in a valley on federal land near the confluence of the Missouri and Cannonball rivers.

It's a semi-permanent, sprawling gathering with a new school for dozens of children and an increasingly organized system to deliver water and meals to the hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people from tribes across North America who've joined the Standing Rock Sioux

Anchoring the camp is the Defenders of Water School, which uses two old army tents and a teepee as classrooms. Pupils learn the three R's, thanks to donated books, as well as traditional crafts and language.

He and his tribal brethren help with trash pickup and water-hauling, which is no small feat. The camp produces several tons of trash weekly and uses several hundred gallons of water daily.

There are many who try to portray the camp as a scary place to be, that there is violence, or drugs but this simply isn’t true. In his blog, he writes about his experience.

Nonetheless, in five days I witnessed no violence, lawlessness, alcohol, or even hostility. A couple speakers even welcomed “European relatives” such as myself. The days were filled with peaceful marches and prayers at the idle construction site, ceremonial welcoming of newly arrived tribes, and as afternoon temps rose to the nineties, flinging ourselves into the cool waters of the once-mighty Cannonball. “River” is the incorrect word to describe this body of water. With its currentless murk and silty mud, the thing is a reservoir, an arm of the man-made lake impounded by the Oahe Dam.

I want you all to know that the protest truly is a peaceful protest and there isn’t anyone who wishes for violence out there or is planning any violence. The stance is one of a defensive nature and they will defend themselves. They will have to be forcibly removed and who knows how that outcome will be. The people at the camp feel ecstatic, full of energy they’ve never known, a purpose has been laid out before them and they believe deep within that their cause is just.

I leave you with this final quote from the Sundeen blog stated by Brian Cladoosby, the president of the National Congress of American Indians…

“I call us the weebee people, we be here when they came, we be here when they gone.”

a reply to: Rezlooper

Nice post. Been hearing more and more about this. Is there a live feed anywhere? I wonder how many truckloads of firewater? Just my random thoughts but knowing what happens with large gatherings, the percentage of riffraff will increase as time goes on unless they police the area very well.

a reply to: Rezlooper

dbl.

a reply to: Rezlooper

Fantastic post. I am so glad they have the supplies they need. I only worry about the government or some private security coming in again. This is such a fantastic example of people coming together for good.

originally posted by: AreUKiddingMe
a reply to: Rezlooper

Nice post. Been hearing more and more about this. Is there a live feed anywhere? I wonder how many truckloads of firewater? Just my random thoughts but knowing what happens with large gatherings, the percentage of riffraff will increase as time goes on unless they police the area very well.

They have tribal police and Bureau of Indian Affairs police there, at least at the gates to camp and nearby for any calls, but the Standing Rock tribe has hired security to patrol the camp 24/7

originally posted by: reldra
a reply to: Rezlooper

Fantastic post. I am so glad they have the supplies they need. I only worry about the government or some private security coming in again. This is such a fantastic example of people coming together for good.

The government or private security has only hassled or arrested people who were off the camp, such as the protesters who chained themselves to equipment was like 25 miles from the main camp, which is Spirit Stone. They won't come in the camp, especially for a while because the Army Corps of Engineers just today issued them the permit to be there and they've denied the pipeline company to cross the river, for the time being, at least probably until January when a new president is seated, which is what the protesters are planning for... a long winter through January at the earliest.

So beautiful and inspiring to see people come together and stand united like this!

originally posted by: Night Star
So beautiful and inspiring to see people come together and stand united like this!

Yes it is. I haven't been to the camp yet, but the continuous stories that come out of the camp make me really want to get out there and experience it for myself.

So in their protest of infrastructure development, they're developing infrastructure?

What a wonderful feeling of pride and community not seen much these days. The US Government had almost totally desecrated their culture(s). Perhaps this new unification of tribes will bring a new beginning.

Must say I fear for them-they need others to stand with them-outside of their culture if they are to have any chance at protecting the precious little land they control.

Have we heard from POTUS, Trump or Hillary about this? I imagine this is one of those powder kegs they are trying to avoid.

originally posted by: NthOther
So in their protest of infrastructure development, they're developing infrastructure?

Really? Porta potties, tent kitchens and gallon water jugs is compared to dangerous pipelines that leak and explode. Our American infrastructure is doing just fine without pipelines.

originally posted by: Justso

Must say I fear for them-they need others to stand with them-outside of their culture if they are to have any chance at protecting the precious little land they control.

One part of the blog from Mark Sundeen mentions non-Natives coming together with the Natives. All over the Cannon Ball area, there are other smaller camps surrounding Stone Spirit Camp, such as the 7 Councils Camp and then there is Red Warrior Camp. This camp is made up of Native and non-Native warriors...

The only note of standoffishness I detected at Seven Councils was a settlement in a grove of cottonwoods called Red Warrior Camp that had erected a fence around itself and hung signs that read: NO MEDIA. NO TOURISTS. CHECK IN WITH SECURITY. An organizer told me the camp was trained in direct nonviolent action. “Whatever happens in Red Warrior Camp stays in Red Warrior Camp,” she said. When they held an open mic outside the gate, their rhetoric included the same message of togetherness and spirit but with a more militant tone. Its people were younger, quite a few of them white, some wearing camo fatigues and bandannas over their faces. I was told that many of the activists came from Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, home to the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890 and uprising in 1973, still bearing a stamp of badassery from the days of the American Indian Movement. Unlike the Standing Rock Tribe, which courted mainstream reporters, Red Warrior pumped out its own message on Facebook. I didn’t attempt to penetrate the place but met some young native guys staying there. “For a place calling itself Red Warrior Camp,” one of them quipped, “there sure are a lot of white warriors.”

The beat reporter is way over exaggerating I think, click baiting. Just because a bunch of people coming together with their own "camping supplies" doesnt mean there's an infrastructure in place. Infrastructure is the developement, growth or even construction of water services, electric, paved roads and other public works for the community to help sustain itself. For an infrastructure to take place, yes take place organically, the town or city needs commerce happening first and foremost. I spose bartering will be enough in some instances for infrastructure to start up. Calling the camp kitchen a restaurant is a stretch. Designating these camps as "towns" is like saying any sort of get togethers like weddings, funnerals towns.

originally posted by: wickd_waze
The beat reporter is way over exaggerating I think, click baiting. Just because a bunch of people coming together with their own "camping supplies" doesnt mean there's an infrastructure in place. Infrastructure is the developement, growth or even construction of water services, electric, paved roads and other public works for the community to help sustain itself. For an infrastructure to take place, yes take place organically, the town or city needs commerce happening first and foremost. I spose bartering will be enough in some instances for infrastructure to start up. Calling the camp kitchen a restaurant is a stretch. Designating these camps as "towns" is like saying any sort of get togethers like weddings, funnerals towns.

Do people have sleep overs at weddings and funerals? This is a self-sustaining encampment so, while not being an actual incorporated village with a town board, it can be called a "city" or "town," and the longer it exists, the better organized it becomes.

a reply to: Rezlooper

Well, I think saying it is self-sustaining is a stretch. They're running off of donations, not their own products/goods/services that can be traded with actual towns nearby, etc. So let's say those donating lose interest, or run out of money. How would these people continue their operations? They would likely eventually leave because they cannot produce their own resources there. Which is why I would argue they are not self-sustainable, and that this is hardly more than a large, well-funded and organized gathering ... large events too have 'infrastructure' in place to feed/provide needs to large amounts of people. But they are not cities.

originally posted by: JustAnObservation
a reply to: Rezlooper

Well, I think saying it is self-sustaining is a stretch. They're running off of donations, not their own products/goods/services that can be traded with actual towns nearby, etc. So let's say those donating lose interest, or run out of money. How would these people continue their operations? They would likely eventually leave because they cannot produce their own resources there. Which is why I would argue they are not self-sustainable, and that this is hardly more than a large, well-funded and organized gathering ... large events too have 'infrastructure' in place to feed/provide needs to large amounts of people. But they are not cities.

I think you're being ridiculously technical, but so be it. That's your opinion. For now... it's infrastructure.. the infrastructure they need to survive the winter, thank you.

All this is until the federal government threatens to take away their reservations for committing treasonous actions against them. I am sure they can find something in the papers their ancestors signed to legally put a stop to this.

yeah its nice to see them working together,but as obama liked to say to his opponents. you lost.

I hope they stand strong, this may be the last ride for the natives. I am afraid they will compromise and lose the unity that is building, I am afraid if it's lost this time will be for good.

With so many coming together, it's going to get worse before it gets better. But if they stand strong and the alternative media keeps beating that drum we might see a victory for the people.

Is there a Go Fund Me page for it yet?

Dont mind if I do!

originally posted by: Irishhaf
I hope they stand strong, this may be the last ride for the natives. I am afraid they will compromise and lose the unity that is building, I am afraid if it's lost this time will be for good.

With so many coming together, it's going to get worse before it gets better. But if they stand strong and the alternative media keeps beating that drum we might see a victory for the people.

I agree, the worst times are ahead. A long cold winter for one. It can be very harsh out there in the high plains, with blizzard-like conditions quite often. And who knows what will happen if they lose in the courts and the federal agencies who are deciding now. But, I know they'll stay united on this until the end.