NoDAPL MOVEMENT
NoDAPL Movement
The Dakota Access Pipeline is an oil transferring pipeline designed to ship 500,000 barrels of crude sweet oil from the Bakken oil fields of North Dakota across 4 states to a refinery in the state of Illinois. This pipeline which has been given the name “The Black Snake” by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, threatens the water of the Missouri and Cannon Ball river, a river that supplies water to the Tribe as well as 18 million people down stream. Tribal members are concerned of the pipeline and the risks it poses from leaks or spills from it being laid under a river that the Standing Rock Sioux hold sacred. The pipeline also threatens to desecrate ceremonial and sacred burial sites as its route cuts through un-seceded Sioux Territory, land originally promised to the Standing Rock Sioux from the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851. NoDAPL is a movement that is based in the protection of these sacred waters and the protection of sacred sites. The movement started from a few youth who started a camp in the spring of 2016 by the Cannon Ball River in hopes of protecting these sites by way of non-violent peaceful, and prayerful direct action has grown to a worldwide movement attracting indigenous and non-indigenous by the thousands to the camp and gaining support of millions around the world. This movement though centered around the stopping DAPL has also ignited and exposed many other issues facing indigenous communities.
Healing Arrows supported the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in their efforts to protect the earth and its resources, and all that we as Indigenous people hold sacred. As an Indigenous social justice and wellness organization we believe that Indigenous communities have the right to clean water, and the right to protect their land and sacred sites as it is essential to healthy living physically, mentally, spiritually and culturally. Healing Arrows supported the NoDAPL movement by providing supplies, financial help to the water protectors at the camp, and sent representatives to the camps to stand in solidarity with our Indigenous and non-Indigenous brothers and sisters in the fight to protect our earth. We continue to stand in solidarity with all water protects and ‘water is life’ movements.
Trips to Standing Rock
Healing Arrows has made 5 trips to Standing Rock; more specifically Oceti Sakowin Camp / Oceti Oyate Camp and Two Kettles Camp. These are photos from the many actions and memorable moments we were able to capture.
September 28, 2016 - October 5, 2016
October 29, 2016 - November 5, 2016
December 4, 2016 - December 9, 2016
February 1, 2017 - February 4, 2017
February 19, 2017 - February 23, 2017
Interview with Farai at Oceti Sakowin Camp
Che Jim, Giovanni Sanchez, and Xo Jim speak about movement building, connecting indiginious communities and issues, healing, and the role of the arts at Standing Rock. Xo and Che work on movement building via the organization Healing Arrows. Taped at Benji Buffalo’s snow fort on Dec 5 in the blizzard at Oceti Sakowin Camp.
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Attribute material to: Farai Chideya
Taped at Oceti Sakowin Camp, Standing Rock, near Cannonball, North Dakota, Dec 5, 2016.
SR Standing RockStandingRockChe Jim, Giovanni Sanchez, Xo Jim, Healing Arrows
“WOWASAKE KIN SLOLYAPO WOWAHWALA HE E”
“Know the power that is peace”
-Black Elk
NoDAPL Presentation at U of W- Osh Kosh
As part of their week long NoDAPL action, Che Jim the Executive Director of Healing Arrows was asked to do a public speaking at the University of Wisconsin in Oshkosh. As a show of solitary on behalf of Healing Arrows with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Che took the time to educate the audience on the meaning of NoDAPL, what it means, its significance, and shared his own experiences of what it was like at the Oceti Sakowin camp.