As the founder of an organization that teaches "primitive" or "ancestral" skills such as archery, bow drill firemaking, and sacred hunting, I spend a lot of time thinking about the debt Mountainsong Expeditions owes to the indigenous peoples for preserving these technologies and philosophies. While it's true that all of our ancestors practiced these skills if you go back far enough (regardless of racial identity), modern people learning these skills draw from a huge amount of wisdom that contemporary indigenous communities have shared from their living traditions.
This is one of the many reasons why I feel called to support the indigenous resistance movement in North Dakota. As the United States once again breaks treaties and invades sacred indigenous lands in the name of economic development, all of us who value justice have the opportunity to stand up and express our objection to what is being done. The indigenous water protectors are defending the Missouri River from the pipeline for all who share that watershed, but all of us who benefitted from the colonization of North America also have an opportunity in this moment to defend the treaty-protected, unceded lands of the Standing Rock Sioux from destructive pipeline construction. In reality, we always have opportunities to stand with indigenous people, but right now there is a clear call for support and the tasks are concrete: Bring your body to North Dakota, share information about this issue with your friends, donate winter supplies needed by the camps, or send money to the Standing Rock Sioux.
So, since I have the opportunity to re-arrange my schedule, I'm clearing out the next two weeks to travel to Standing Rock and support the indigenous people there in any way I can: Chopping wood, serving as a Street Medic, doing chores around camp, and telling the world what I witness there. If you can't clear out enough time in your schedule to travel to North Dakota, please consider donating some funds to the Standing Rock Sioux, which will be used to purchase food and supplies for the camps.
More information about supporting Standing Rock:
Donations to support Medics & Healing Tent
How to talk about #NoDAPL: A Native Perspective
Open Letter to White People at Standing Rock
The Mountainsong Expeditions guide to dressing warmly for winter weather (for people going to North Dakota or donating clothing to the camps)
"Follow" my Facebook Profile for updates on my experiences in North Dakota
This is one of the many reasons why I feel called to support the indigenous resistance movement in North Dakota. As the United States once again breaks treaties and invades sacred indigenous lands in the name of economic development, all of us who value justice have the opportunity to stand up and express our objection to what is being done. The indigenous water protectors are defending the Missouri River from the pipeline for all who share that watershed, but all of us who benefitted from the colonization of North America also have an opportunity in this moment to defend the treaty-protected, unceded lands of the Standing Rock Sioux from destructive pipeline construction. In reality, we always have opportunities to stand with indigenous people, but right now there is a clear call for support and the tasks are concrete: Bring your body to North Dakota, share information about this issue with your friends, donate winter supplies needed by the camps, or send money to the Standing Rock Sioux.
So, since I have the opportunity to re-arrange my schedule, I'm clearing out the next two weeks to travel to Standing Rock and support the indigenous people there in any way I can: Chopping wood, serving as a Street Medic, doing chores around camp, and telling the world what I witness there. If you can't clear out enough time in your schedule to travel to North Dakota, please consider donating some funds to the Standing Rock Sioux, which will be used to purchase food and supplies for the camps.
More information about supporting Standing Rock:
Donations to support Medics & Healing Tent
How to talk about #NoDAPL: A Native Perspective
Open Letter to White People at Standing Rock
The Mountainsong Expeditions guide to dressing warmly for winter weather (for people going to North Dakota or donating clothing to the camps)
"Follow" my Facebook Profile for updates on my experiences in North Dakota
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