Thanksgiving: Water Is Life

I haven't much mentioned the ongoing encampment to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline (just here and here). Depending on your media sources, you may not know much about it. But the people of the Standing Rock Sioux Nation have been camping out for something like half a year, and they've faced attack dogs, clubs, mace, and water cannons in freezing weather.

They call themselves water protectors, rather than protestors. The Lakota words they use are mni wiconi (pronounced m'nee wichoni): water is life. The hash tag #nodapl (no Dakota Access Pipeline) is also commonly used.


For Thanksgiving, a holiday that supposedly celebrates thankfulness and connection between people across difference, here are some photos I took at a protest in front of the St. Paul office of the Army Corps of Engineers last week.




There were many children at the march and rally. This girl later participated in a circle dance around a group of men drumming on the street in front of the Corps building.








This sign was waiting to be picked up before the march.


Sometimes words were attached to backpacks.


There were six or eight people dressed as almost full-sized buffalo. They also joined the circle dance on the street.


This woman's sign will probably get a lot of use in the coming months and years.