Julia Bystrova reports again live from Standing Rock

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Tonight I exchanged Facebook messages with my friend Julia Bystrova, a long-time Sebastopol area resident and local activist leader, who is, as of this moment, just four hours away from Standing Rock where she is returning after having spent over a month at the main Oceti Sakoqin Camp during November and December as part of the Medic and Healers team.

I will be posting here Julia's messages from Standing Rock that she may post on her Facebook page, if any. Below is Julia's last post on her way to Standing Rock.

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From Julia:

I gave my word to myself, to the Spirits that listen, that I would be back to Standing Rock. The time is now for the need is great. The truth is I never really left or stopped or unplugged and I am tired, apprehensive, sad and feeling a lot of uncertainty. But I gain strength thinking of the amazing and courageous souls holding so strong. Or my beautiful native brothers and sisters who have been fighting all their lives. And deeper still, I feel a peace and a great love that is yearning to be fully embodied and knows it is this that we are here to offer.

This great love tells me that, in spite of everything I feel, it is the full force of our hearts that will change things. In fact it is the only way we can meet this seemingly unstoppable and brutal force of fear and greed. Love in the face of the darkness.

Please, your prayers are called upon now more than ever as things have indeed been pushed through and drilling either has begun or will do so soon. Potent prayers, a force of hearts en masse. It will, it has to make a difference. Take a moment now, take a moment later, moments throughout your day to hold your heart with us. There are few things happening now that are more important than joining in this way for all front lines everywhere. We are the love we want to see in the world.

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Here is the latest posting from Julia Bystrova who is at Standing Rock now.

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Jul Bystrova
1 hr ·

So back at ground zero here at Standing Rock. They are moving medic camp and much of Oceti over to Sacred Stone. DAPL is keeping a very close eye and ear. I say ground zero because clearly the front lines has dispersed and is now all over the country, as it should be. But ground zero is where we learn what we are really dealing with, it is a concentrated version of all that we are facing in our country. Since we humans like to categorize in order to make sense of things, I will do that and say there appears to be 4 types of people here:

• those that want to keep the actions going and who are really angry.
• those that are saying just pray, that this is a spiritual battle.
• those that are just really hard workers here to do the logistical and support stuff, (this includes all the work on other fronts such as media and legal).
• and then there are those who are are the lost souls, the hangers-on, the opportunists, drama seekers and traumatized or power seeking egos.

It is possible that most of those here are in all of these categories, or have elements of more than one. But the main conflicts I see here are between these different elements. A microcosm of humanity. A boot camp for the resistance. Heal, harden or be eaten alive. I choose heal. I need to connect to my own heart even more because it is depressing and fractured with the camp closing and the protection of the sacred fire gone. I am finding my own ground and the sacred fire within me.

I have been visualizing kneeling with the police and asking them to pray with me. We are all in this together and they are hurting too even if they don't know it. Until more of us come home fully to our hearts and show others the way, this will go on and on and it will not be pretty. .

The latest from Julia Bystrova at Standing Rock:

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14 hrs

Tonight on this beautiful full moon evening, I was re-heartened, if that is a word. I had a gift that surprised my spirit, a Lakota woman adopted me and declared me as Lakota. She told me Lakota is not so much a lineage of blood, but a way of life, a way of living. It is the way of peace, of honor. I was sharing with her how much I am aware of my colonized mind, how I act and think in a way that has been full of unacknowledged privilege and domination. She made me Lakota and said i now had the same rights of sovereignty that the Lakota are claiming with their treaty rights. She said if anyone has a problem with it, they can take it up with her, Yellow Bird. we cried, we hugged. I felt so much love and acceptance. Then she went on to tell me how she is on a legal team that is working now with the ACLU and will be bringing the brutalities and unlawfulness of the police to court.

Then later I found myself at a huge full moon bonfire with the nephew of Russell Means (if you don't know who he is, you should. Legendary AIM founder) singing songs he wrote just for the movement. We sang, we danced. So much joy and spirit still lives in the vision. Even while the camp around me is disintegrating into piles of trash, donations never used, and melting snow into huge muddy puddles, I feel reconnected to what this is all about. Even there, under the bright lights and listening ears of the police, I knew in my heart that they know in their heart they are on a losing side but could win with us if they choose to join us. Because everyone needs clean water. Everyone wants their children to live with freedom and health. I feel all the people everywhere who are now speaking up! They are singing, praying and awakening. We are not going to go quietly into the night.

5 hrs

Reflecting on the social challenge of movements like noDAPL, What I see is that one of the biggest ways a cause can be taken down is not through mace, tear gas, bullets or arrests. It is through internal divisiveness. People telling negative stories about each other and spreading rumors that they have heard. This erodes the trust of a group, and trust is the glue of cohesiveness and success in an objective. It can be big things or petty, doesn't matter. When someone is hurt by another, it is important that a community find ways to stay connected, through council, through keeping lines of communication open, through proper and appropriate justice. If someone is angry, or not well, and they are lashing out--there must be compassionate ways to contain the person's issue without stigmatizing or traumatizing all involved. This just inflames. Yet this is what communities do, they gossip, they backbite, they divide through conflict. This tendency is our ego contending for control and position. But everyone loses and the cause overall loses. We see this time and again in our well intended movements. Those that do have evil intentions know this human tendency and capitalize on it to great advantage. I see DAPL send spies into camp just to start fearful rumors that have a huge damaging effect.

I myself have contributed to gossip over the years and I am determined to be vigilant against this tendency within myself. It is probably the single most insidious tool of most of our social ills, and we see it now glorified in our media and our current administration. Join me in vowing to not engage in negative storytelling about others, and to seek to find ways to heal where there is unjust treatment so that it doesn't come out in ways that keep us all inflamed and hurting.


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The latest from Julia Bystrova at Standing Rock, the most recent on the bottom:

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20 hrs

I found this helpful instruction left In the meeting dome at camp.




2 hrs

Spending much of my time here helping clean up. It blows my mind how much stuff people have sent here, and a lot of it never used. These pics show you why people were being asked not to send more clothes! Much of this is being taken to other reservations to be distributed.





1 hr

In conversation with my new Lakota sister -- "Standing Rock is the most beautiful war zone in a way that I can't explain”.


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Before I share our understanding of the adoption ceremony I want to acknowledge and thank Julia for her hard-work and sacrifice for our Oceti Sakowin and the Standing Rock community. I also enjoy her pictures and information on-the-ground.

Now, there is much confusion coming out of Standing Rock on numerous levels. One of them is traditional/cultural issues. In Da/La/Nakota communities there has been discussion of adoptions of non-Lakotas before. Arvol Looking Horse has commented on it and said, " Being adopted does not make you Lakota." There is also much discussion concerning this issue on bulletin boards like (www.newagefrauds.org). My understanding is when you are adopted it is not something done on a whim. If you are adopted according to the Hunka Ceremony, then you are being tied to that person by the pipe and a specific ceremony will have to occur. This will make a beautiful and special relationship with that individual and perhaps their family, but it does not change your blood and you do not have the right to Lakota tribal rights or tribal membership. The Mississippi Sioux judgement was distributed recently for an old treaty that wasn't paid in the past. The tribes were subsequently sent payment. Dakota people who were not enrolled had to show proof of being of lineal descendent. Adoptions into Dakota families did not qualify because the sovereignty only applied to lineal descendants.

Someone can walk with the values and virtues of the Lakota way of life and it is a beautiful thing. They should also acknowledge the history of violation of our people and be sensitive to that reality. Theft has been part of this history and unfortunately Standing Rock re-ignited the flame of Cultural Appropriation which can be assisted and endorsed by Native people. However, let us not forget the beautiful flames that have also been re-ignited such as the Oceti Sakowin; acknowledgment of broken Treaties; and the 7th generation, sparking a worldwide movement that is looking towards how to live with the earth and not against her.

I do not wish to alienate anyone. I only wish to foster better understanding, and protect what we have left. Non native water protectors are getting a peek into our world and that world is powerful and beautiful. It is also JUST A PEEK. One of our virtues is humility and acknowledging our limits. We have been saved and protected at times by our allies. Being an ally means being a friend, and respecting our traditional teachings. Be a part of our ceremonies and teachings because they are a bright light for a sick world. Also walk in balance and don't try to run our ceremonies or take our identity.

Being adopted is a beautiful statement of making someone a family member by choice and I send good energy to you and your new sister. I also felt compelled to share previous conversations on the issue. I have an adopted Lakota family sealed by the pipe, feather, song and giveaway. I also was told that it didn't make me able to announce myself as Lakota but we would stand together through any difficulty no matter what. I am also by blood a Dakota, Chippewa and Cree with responsibility that is only passed down by bloodline. Thank u for your time and let us continue to end the black snakes inside us and all over our home.

Wopilasni.

Thank you Adam,
Though I know you were not speaking to me directly so much, but more about the general subject matter. I think this is a good opportunity to share more about my personal experience and perspective around the adoption.

My post was a spontaneous, casual sharing because I was deeply moved, but I do not want to mislead.
Cultural appropriation and colonial oppression is an important, complicated and sensitive topic, and I am just a child in my learning about how deep it goes and how much violence has been done. And it is true that there is a lot of it still going on, sometimes blatant, other times very hard to detect.

I had a long conversation with my new sister about what it means to be adopted last night. She shared that there are differing opinions about the process as her people are evolving and not everything is done in the old way but one thing is sure: that one holds to the Lakota values. For those that don't know, these are the values:


Praying,
Respect,
Caring and Compassion,
Honesty and Truth,
Generosity and Helping,
Humility
Wisdom.

If I am to honor an adoption, then I must honor these values. If I honor these values then I will be sensitive (as much as I am able or aware to be) to how I conduct myself in relation to being adopted "Lakota". If I am truly honoring the Lakota values, it is less likely I could misappropriate the culture. But I must be vigilant.

I will not be going around calling myself Lakota, nor do I see that as appropriate. I will be seeking to know right behavior and relations with all of this. As I mentioned, I am just a child in my learning.

For the record, tribal membership was not part of the conversation. I did share about my colonial mindset and the heritage that I am in process of recognizing and healing in myself. Native peoples have their own healing they are praying for and engaged in. Together we can support each other, but we need to build trust. Standing Rock is a huge place of healing and building trust for this. And it is very messy and often very challenging. I have so many stories I could tell around this, watching people try to heal...or not...as they choose.

I choose is to walk in a way of integrity, following the values. This is no small order and I will likely fall short on many occasions, but I will not stop holding them as my measure. These values are universal. They are spiritual values and they speak to who I aspire to be as a whole human being, no matter what culture or tribe I am, or what blood runs in my veins.

Let us continue in the building of this bridge between white western and native cultures, in a way that is respectful. Much trust has been broken and healing is needed.
To join and help with opening ways to hold the kind of conversations that we all need so much. Adam's concerns speak to the issues that are important to pay attention to. And no doubt, there will be other views as well. Let us have those conversations. Let us share ourselves in community and learn what we value together. Let us not judge but help each other understand and heal. This is what these times are calling for.

To learn how to be Indigenous again is the deep yearning of so many hearts, because we know that we must reconnect with the earth and the indigenous ways have been keepers of that knowing. Colonial ways also offer certain gifts and strengths, but need to be used with wisdom.

Adoption came to me as a complete surprise, I did not seek it. It is very possible that my sister was more free with this gesture than other Lakota would prefer. I do not believe I earned it, I see it as a gift. I see that there are differing opinions about this among the Lakota people. But now that she has given the gesture, I do not want it to become an empty one. May it be like a seed well planted in me that will grow. And I trust that she, and Spirit, will lead me in what I need to do beyond knowing the values, in terms of ceremonies or practices.

I care deeply about all this. But I am a flawed human, and do not see any end to that in the near future :-)
Let us teach, learn and share with each other. If more people who are attracted to Native cultures truly honor the values above or the stated values of their own spiritual culture, we will go far.

with care and compassion
honesty and respect
Julia

Quote:

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Posted in reply to the post by Thunderface:

Before I share our understanding of the adoption ceremony I want to acknowledge and thank Julia for her hard-work and sacrifice for our Oceti Sakowin and the Standing Rock community. I also enjoy her pictures and information on-the-ground....

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The latest from Julia Bystrova at Standing Rock, the most recent on the bottom:

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Things are chugging along here in the huge puddles of muddy snow melt at Oceti as the very responsible few clean up the messes of the many (some left and some gone because they are arrested).

While it is true that we need better education in "leave no trace" camping and self-responsibilty for all water protectors, to be fair, a lot of stuff was frozen to the ground and only now just getting loose enough to remove. Also a lot of mess is not from water protectors but from donations no one needed and from people from the outside coming through and ransacking, I think that's what is creating the most tension because they are coming in and going through stuff with disregard for leaving a mess or if it still belongs to someone. I have met a number of super responsible (mostly women I must add), overworked campers who are picking up the slack for those who left. Like mom's cleaning their their teenagers rooms. Only they are tipis and tents, ha. Anyway, ugh. Well, I know this post is a bit of a rant, but its situations like these where people show you what they are made of, where you see the best and the worst. I know the media wants to spin it that the campers are leaving all this trash, but as you can see it is more complicated than that. And ND doesn't even have a recycling program!

I can't help but think about the irony of how we are sitting in the very thing we are trying to change, the fallout of consumer culture. But it is the fallout of us all, not the cause itself. It brings home for me how much we need to live in a new way. We're figuring it out here at camp. On a positive note, things are getting done. We gotta work quick as I've heard another freeze is coming and these puddles will become slick ice skating rinks with everything frozen again!

If you are reading this in the WaccoBB Digest, you can see Julia's live video on the WaccoBB website by clicking the Website button below. :waccosun:

The latest from Julia Bystrova at Standing Rock, the most recent on the bottom:

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14 hrs

Today I am doing an extra long meditation to get my heart really leading me in all I do here. I am tested. It is all too easy to get thrown off by camp politics and dramas, by fearful rumors and the pressure of the police presence and the incoming floods. While here, I can do the most good by simply holding myself in a good way and not get discouraged. To be a loving, prayerful presence, available for healing where it is invited and needed. As I mentioned, the best and worst of humanity is here, we must learn how to speak to each other with respect, to work together. And honestly, more than anything, to just be kind.

There will be a meeting today between DAPL and Oceti campers. I will be there to let you all know what's happening.

50 mins





Finally getting my head around what happened today at Standing Rock. Oceti campers have known about the feb 22 date to vacate the premises already, but Army Corps and the Govenor's office came in to up the ante. They 'offered to help us clean up by coming in with their trucks and bulldozers. I stood there listening to a tense but mostly civil conversation, with a significant presence of law enforcement surrounding the perimeter, between the officials and the water protectors.

Many questions were brought up, including asking if the army corps would enlist the help of the police if campers were non-compliant. We also said we need more time and that the deadline was not realistic. Army corps said they are worried about the environmental impact of the camp on the river when the floods come. Many people asked of course "if you are so worried about the environment, why are you letting the pipeline through?" One oil spill would be far more of an impact than waste from the camp. However, campers are working hard to get things cleaned up.

While the meeting was going on about vacating Oceti, other officers went over to Sacred Stone and served eviction papers to the residents there, on the grounds that the lands are partly in the possession of the tribe, and the tribe never gave permission.

This whole thing is one more chapter in a long convoluted, corrupt and morally bankrupt system. To be fair, there are issues on all sides and those in camp that have not heeded the wisdom of the elders have also made this struggle more difficult. But this is always the case, the youth that sometimes get impatient with prayers and the elders that are tired of fighting and know that it cannot work. Pray and let the Spirits do what needs to be done. They did this, and then they left. Those who have stayed behind still want to heal and learn and hold strong for the cause. This is truly a self organizing group with a number of voices, with the difficulties that come with such movements. Sigh.

The tribal council by all appearances has been completely colonized. They do not want this camp here any longer. Upon a deeper look, it appears this is how our government has been so successful in keeping our native brothers and sisters imprisoned in the country's worst poverty. By making sure the native leaders are under their thumb through financial and resource control. We are seeing the effects of a long history of oppression, greed and colonized leadership rear its ugly head.

On a positive note, this is all coming out in the open, many are seeing what is going on. This could be the beginning of a big detox if we keep doing our diet of prayer and healing.
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Big thanks to u Julia, for your reporting here, & at the Grange earlier. It's great to hear the inside details u provide.

As to the "morally corrupt system" … sadly, it's true of any system that involves humans, tho obviously some r worse than others.

I am curious if u can provide any more details on the future role of the Tribal Council at the encampment … & where u see the encampment going. Aren't there legal challenges to the pipeline, independent of the encampment?

Tomas

The latest from Julia Bystrova at Standing Rock, the most recent on the bottom:

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Yesterday at 8:06am

This post clarifies the serving of papers at Sacred Stone. Please note it is NOT an eviction notice, as many of us (including me) have mistakenly said. It is a notice of trespass.



12 hrs

Things are getting pretty tense and nutty here, what a big stew of intrigue and posturing, deceit and psy-ops. What keeps me from losing hope are all the beautiful smart and fearless youth I meet.

1 hr

Camp update and reflections

The elders did their prayers, their ceremonies. When they put out the sacred fire (which was moved and restarted under a new name) they left the camp. The protection of that fire, and the elders presence, could be felt and it was felt when it was gone. I spoke with one of the elders the other day and he said that after the prayers are laid, you have to step back and allow the Spirits to do the work. So they continue the ceremonies from afar, off of the camps. When we pray to Creator, we only get in the way when we also try to tell Creator how to accomplish the prayer. This is the time for faith, an important part of prayer.

When the elders left, this message did not get communicated fully, or to everyone, because not everyone is at the meetings, etc. so there is a lot of confusion about what to do.(There is no central communications here that everyone tunes into, even though we have the Oceti website and other efforts) Consequently, some water protectors feel abandoned and disenfranchised. There is also a strong contingent that do not understand or agree with the elders message of prayer. They feel they are quitting or letting the cause down if they leave. Most of those left here have already been maced, shot at or arrested, so they have a certain battle hardness that is making them dig in more and they are willing even to die for this cause. Meanwhile, the police presence is growing and Army corps is trying to bring its bulldozers in.

I personally believe in the power of prayer, I know that it works if we are united in our effort and we hold the faith together. I also know that it must be combined with action, but I believe the prayer will inform our action, that we will be guided.

As we come down to the date we have been served to vacate, I am praying, asking everyone to listen to their hearts. I have been telling some of these brave protectors that getting hurt does not help the cause, please follow their heart and not the ego that is just acting out of trauma or stubbornness. If Creator speaks to their hearts and tells them to stay and hold strong, then that is between them and the Creator and I honor that.
The land also needs to breathe, it needs to heal. We need to heal too. Standing strong for the treaty rights still needs to happen, but I don't like the odds at this time for the safety of the water protectors.

There is a time to stand and there is a time to wait and recoup. We have won already so much. And even though they are drilling, and pushing back, the movement's roots have already spread far and wide. If the camps close, it will not kill the cause. We must keep divesting and make sure no oil ever goes through. And continue to find ways to help the Sioux reclaim the land that rightfully belongs to them. The way I see it, the most important thing is to bring healing to the historical and personal trauma, as that is what is dividing everyone and keeping us from being unified and more effective.

I walk the land and pray, pray for the land, pray for all affected, and pray for the police and all the officials.
Let us continue the big healing, it is hard and messy healing. No healing is ever pretty because our shit is coming up in order to come out. Keep the faith everyone, continue to pray and do not give in to fear.
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The latest postings from Julia Bystrova at Standing Rock, the most recent on the bottom:

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Yesterday at 2:36pm

Fear points to where DAPL cops are parked, truth points to the camp.



20 hrs

There is now a police blockade which filters who gets into camp. They are making sure no one is bringing in any building materials, as those staying are moving and rebuilding their structures.

Ive been making the rounds to talk to people, get a pulse, a reading on what's happening with folks. I sat around the fire at Oceti and listened, felt a feeling in the air of missing the elders, a feeling of wanting guidance and insight. There are many struggling and stressed, playing it out day by day as to what they will do. Then there are many who have already decided that they are not going anywhere, and maybe don't have anywhere to go if they did want to leave. For many camp is home, they left everything, quit their jobs etc, in order to be here. The camps are so much more than simply resistance camps, they are an experiment in how to live and heal together.

I am amazed at the courage and conviction and the sheer badassness of some of these people. Yet I have been sharing from my heart with them about staying connected to their heart to find the way through all this. Now more than ever. The camaraderie, under the pressure of everything, we are literally now encircled by cops, brings up a palpable love and connection.

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The latest postings from Julia Bystrova at Standing Rock, the most recent on the bottom:

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17 hrs

The countdown is on, people are stressed, DAPL has sent in reinforcements, the national guard have been seen coming in, and high powered assault rifles have been sighted. If anyone has doubted before that we are living in a police state, doubt no more. Most, if not all of what they are doing is technically not legal. Money rules in this country. Might makes right. Double up on the prayers, folks.

I'm praying that this all is anti-climatic, and that no one gets hurt. Right now people are choosing what they are going to do and where they are going to be as the feb 22nd date to vacate looms

17 hrs

Today instead of being part of the tear down and clean up, I spent the afternoon helping set up a new camp set on private land and dedicated to prayer. Spirits are high and clear there. It feels so different than the other camps, people coming together and getting to know each other and prepare to accommodate the "refugees" from the other camps. I am feeling a strange mix of hope and grief.

16 hrs

What do I do? I want to be here for the 2/22 deadline, but I committed to being there for my mother who needs my care on the 24th. It takes 3 days for me to drive home. I must honor my commitment and... this is a historical and important time to be part of.

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The latest postings from Julia Bystrova at Standing Rock, the most recent on the bottom:

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13 hrs

Another epic day in the life of a resistance camp. I've been going back and forth between the Oceti and a new camp, where we are trying to get set up for people leaving the old. We've been able to salvage some supplies and tents and bring them over. Its a lot of work, but sometimes fun finding abandoned things we really need.

At Oceti, I listened to a deeply moving meeting today (I'll be posting the video later) with the water protectors and DAPL representatives. The reps made it clear that they want everyone out by Feb 22nd at 2pm. They also made it clear that there will be enforcement of this. I spent the afternoon with the grief tearing at my heart. I walked with some friends to say prayers before the barricade where the cops are standing in their full gear. Tears.

Then I met some vets and heard their take on things. There are so many crazy, brilliant, fearless characters here.

So strange to see all these police and federal agents streaming in. At the casino, where a lot of water protectors get rooms (for a break from the camp and to get a shower) there are now also a lot of cops walking around in their civilian clothes. Its rather surreal that we are hanging out in the same place, even maybe nodding to each other, while yet getting ready for what may be the biggest confrontation yet. Makes it seem like its all just a play. A reality show. But it isn't a show and this is the reality we are living in.

Talking to a native around the sacred fire, he shared that he's seen a few occurrences of a cop breaking down in tears, maybe later quitting. Their hearts woke up.

I am praying for more of this, (though large numbers are designed to make it harder due to peer pressure).
I am visualizing mama earth herself magnetically pulling the mean out of their bodies. I see them meeting the water protectors and suddenly realizing what they are doing, that they are defending something that is killing them too. I see the water protectors rising in song and spirit.

I know it sounds out there--but I choose this visualization, not because I am in denial of what is happening, but because we must change the script in this old, tired worn out play.

1 hr

We are the new world order! Ok yes it's a little disorderly but hey, we are figuring it out. One thing is for certain, we need people experienced with pulling together on the ground sustainable communities to catch the fallout of folks from the old world order.

1 hr

Sirens and helicopters and people scurrying around getting ready. Nothing a hug and a to-go cup of tea can't handle! Oh, the cherry pie home baked from a supporter in Seattle also helps.

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Things are starting to get heavy at Standing Rock.

If you are seeing this in the digest, click the website button below to see Julia facebook live video from Standing Rock - Might work, might not. Sorry!) :waccosun:

Can anyone verify this?

https://i.redd.it/c7h9a11udtby.jpg

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It's eviction day at Standing Rock and Julia is still at the main Oceti camp. She will probably be leaving before the law enforcement sweep, which is imminent. Eviction time is 2:00 PM which is 12 noon Pacific time. I'm posting this at 10:40 AM. Here are Julia's latest posting, most recent at the bottom.

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6 hrs

Today I pray, cry, and pray some more. Please pray hard with me.

Even the sky is crying with us now.

6 hrs

So many uprisings have been squashed; they tried to take down Occupy and Bernie, now our government is doing everything in its power to take out Standing Rock.

What they don't know is that they can do what they do, but they already lost. The people are speaking and they are saying enough is enough. Standing Rock has already burst its seed pod and sprouts are everywhere.

3 hrs

FB will likely be jammed so you may not hear from me for awhile. Hopefully some news will be getting through!

Posted on Waccobb.net @ 10:29 AM Thursday Feb 23 -- From Julia Bystrovia at Standing Rock.

[Note -- For some live feed of the military invasion of the Oceti Camp happening now -- https://www.unicornriot.ninja/?page_id=216]

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4:00 AM 2/23 Pacific Time

The day and night before the evacuation date, warrior spirits were awakened with ceremonies, prayers, bonfires, drumming, singing, "hoopin and hollerin" all night long. Medics were soberly meeting and preparing their emergency supplies and the camp media was sleep deprived trying to catch everything. Tents, structures and tipis were ceremoniously being burnt down while others were still trying to recover and salvage what supplies or structures they could.

Those who decided to stay were preparing themselves spiritually, psychologically. I walked through the camp talking to random people, listening to their thoughts and feelings. One older man said he would gladly take a bullet if it saved someone else. Native warriors were preparing themselves to die. Some vets were coming in to stand strong with the water protectors, perhaps feeling they finally had their day to redeem their service for the good and make the stand that was denied them back in December. A lot of talk, pleading, that we stay nonviolent, peaceful--even among rumors of a rogue element that was ready to fight. Also quite possibly DAPL infiltrators trying to incite a riot, again. But we knew that there was anger enough to provoke among us, many furious to be kicked out of their home, their community and once again oppress the natives, deny their treaty rights and poison their water.

The day before I talked to a grandmother whose family had lived in the area for many generations. She said she had dark dreams of violence and was very scared. She told a medicine man who shared that in the same area as the camp, the cavalry had massacred the families of warriors while they were away at battle. And here the cavalry are again, this time in their police SUVs and trucks, sacrilegiously parked right on the burial mounds. There they look down with their powerful scopes, sniper posts and lights bright enough for a stadium. Hundreds of federal agents had come in, their camps, their cars set up all looking down on the camp. So I knew then that this is a very old story that has been played for a long time, just the clothes and the weapons have changed.

There is a palpable power in the land, her history is whispered if you quiet your mind enough to listen. You'll hear spirits that both ask for healing or bring great wisdom. The land felt especially alive and charged at this time, the fires and prayers called the ancestors in strong. And the elements. The "thunder beings" came, then the rain, with snowflakes seen to be almost as big as a fist--nothing like that being usual at all. Going out of the camp, they were not there. The large flakes were only in the camp. Hawks and eagles were sighted too. Nature was giving so many signs of hearing us. Tears were flowing, hugs and a strong sense of community like I've never felt before. I think I have a small inkling of the camaraderie that soldiers in battle must feel. Those who were on the outside of the camp seemed to show more fear than those choosing to stay in it. Inside the camp, those I met who had decided to stay appeared calm and resolved.

Children were still in camp and several folks were working hard to try to get them out. One powerful grandmother choose to stay behind and hold her ground, saying "this is our treaty land". She was a force to be reckoned with. I am imagining now that one unarmed native grandmother facing down a line of around 100 heavily armed cops.

That is the power of this movement, with all the forces of the land and the unseen helping us. This truly is a spiritual war.

I knew I could not stay in camp past the deadline as I am not "arrestable". I need to be there for my mother as she continues to recover from her debilitating stroke. But I did want to go into camp beforehand and help any way I could. The morning of feb 22 we awoke with rain and snow and freezing weather, after a long stretch of warm temps. Women were having a water ceremony at the camp and later a prayer vigil. Unfortunately, the road block was no longer letting anyone into the camp starting early that day, so I was unable to get in.

Next post is Part 2: Stories from the evacuation time and after...

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From Julia Bystrovia at Standing Rock, with the very most recent posts from back in Sonoma County. Most recent at the bottom.

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Yesterday at 4:35pm

I could really really use a hug.

16 hrs

On the wall in the awesome compost toilet tent.



3 hrs

I saw almost exactly this image in a meditation last week



1 hr

Standing Rock Feb 22/23

When I realized I could no longer drive into camp, I went back to the new camp where I was staying and was going to go down to Oceti the back way for any help needed. However, when I got to my new camp, the main people who were holding it down were all gone, off on missions to get people out of the evacuation zone. There were new people slowly moving in, the mood was somber and intense. A heaviness hung in the air. Tears were flowing everywhere you went. I knew there would soon be a lot more and there wasn't enough food to feed them. I made a big pot of soup and got things ready to receive folks. Most of all, I got myself ready to just be a calming nurturing presence for them as much as I could.

I kept trying to leave, to go down to Oceti to help with evacuation but was stopped by a friend who insisted I would be arrested if I went, that it wasn't safe and I was exactly where I needed to be for doing the most help. I tried anyway a couple of times to go down but was deterred by the long walk through mud up to your knees, and uncertain reports of cops coming in. My camp mates were down evacuating the children along with some other folks and I felt guilt for not being there to help them. But in the end I realized my friend was right, so I held space in our "refugee camp" and was able to keep a grounded space. I also stayed in prayer and psychic connection with what was happening for the collective.

The refugees came in one by one, many with shell shocked faces, staring into space still trying to comprehend what was happening in the camp. They came back back in exhausted and emotional and people were hungry and cold, happy for the soup. I started hearing the stories of escape across the frozen river, dragging what belongings they could.

Towards the end of the day on feb 22, the police still had not raided the camp, and some people were beginning to think they were not going to. The rain and snow and mud had deterred them, too logistically difficult. I went into Sacred Stone and found people walking around feeling full of the power of this movement, strong and defiant. Others feeling scared and uncertain. The police did say they would be back the next day. And indeed they came in full force. Some of the stories from people I knew who were there I will save for another post.

I personally believed in respecting the elders and their request to let the prayers do the work and to fall back voluntarily, AND I understand the thinking of those who kept building and staying on the ground. This is a complex situation. This is a microcosm of the challenges of humanity. There is a disconnect between the spiritual and egoic actions. I am not here to point fingers or complain about how people aren't doing things right, etc. I choose instead to learn from this. The chasm between perspectives sometimes seems unbridgable. But that is what healing is, seeing a challenge as something to hold a higher way, a bridging way to embrace all. Not just Trump, not just the corrupt leaders, but we are all accountable in the long run. Meanwhile, those who suffer from the actions of the whole must be tended to.

This evacuation was a HUGE blow as well as the current instability of the remaining camps. It is going to take a while for those involved to find their footing again, both physically and psychologically. Standing Rock has a long journey ahead. But I have seen the hearts and faces of so many beautiful people and I deeply trust in the rising of hearts, our cause for protecting the earth and the water, for social justice, for healing our leadership structure. The collective heart WILL rise, it must, it must.

56 mins

When I was stopped at the roadblock, the policeman was very rude. For the first time while facing one of them, I felt myself falter a bit and feel righteous anger. I totally get it why many of the water protectors got triggered with some taunting and shaming the police. It takes great spiritual discipline to be nonviolent. This is perhaps the hardest spiritual path there is. But with the most rewards.

48 mins

I am back in Sonoma County, flying home to honor my family commitment. I will return to Standing Rock next week to continue support and get my car. But today I rest.

46 mins

Any bodyworkers out there in Sonoma County available this evening for some healing, please please?

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Hi Tomas
just saw your question.
There is discension in the council, as I understand it. And there are many tribal members who do not want the camps there. The BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) was involved in the raid, which means it was sanctioned by the council in some way. This is a big tribal and political morass, and I am not privy to the inside conversations. All I know is that many people believe the tribal council has been bought off. Many, if not all, reservations have leadership that is colonized so it can be under the control or manipulated by the US govt. This is not by accident.
julia

Quote:

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Posted in reply to the post by tommy:

Big thanks to u Julia, for your reporting here, & at the Grange earlier. It's great to hear the inside details u provide.

As to the "morally corrupt system" … sadly, it's true of any system that involves humans, tho obviously some r worse than others.

I am curious if u can provide any more details on the future role of the Tribal Council at the encampment … & where u see the encampment going. Aren't there legal challenges to the pipeline, independent of the encampment?

Tomas

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