NOTE: This work is Purpose-fully non-copyrighted, and may therefore be copied, reprinted, forwarded &/or gifted onward in whatever ways any of its readers deem fit. That having been said, the author would also like to remind anyone so doing that, just as these Truths have been given to all for free, so too should they be freely given onward to others – fully profitless to the giver; without any additional costs or conditions attached to the receiving thereof … Thank you. 2
“We met with the Army Corps of Engineers a number of times, and none of the meetings went particularly well. I was present at all of them, and each time Colonel Henderson spoke I realized that he fully intended to approve the permits for the pipeline no matter what ... Everyone sensed it ... Everyone knew ... So on April 1, Ladonna, Joye, Joe White Eyes, and some others established the Sacred Stone Camp. It was established with peaceful ceremony and peaceful prayer, and it was built with the hope that things would be different this time; that the rights of the Native American would finally be respected -- that Peace and Justice would finally prevail. Somehow it became apparent to many that we, as native people, were not willing to see 500 years of genocide -- the pain, the anguish, the trauma, the frustration, the anger -- continue, and word of Sacred Stone Camp spread, and the Camp itself grew. We have always fought, of course ... We have always protested ... We have always spoken up. We have always stepped up. We have always stood tall ... Alcatraz, Wounded Knee 1973, Laframboise Island, Camp Justice, Yellow Thunder, and so many others -- all of them exemplified the just cause of the many Noble Warriors who had gone before us. And yet this time was somehow different ... This time, tens of thousands of people -- from hundreds of tribes and dozens of countries joined with us; joined together to fight the Black Snake. They came from everywhere for so many different reasons, and yet at the heart of it all was one central Truth: Mni Wiconi -- Water is Life.” ~ Linda Black Elk 3