MountainsDreamz: Day 15: Gratefulness Journey....for Prayer and Confirmation.

Sitting upstairs with our puppies watching the snow and sleet come down...listening to music and wafting my way through another migraine. Finally having the time to sit and write down some parts of what has gone on the past few. Some days can be so filled with things to do that the mind is otherwise occupied...and the voicing of one's own journey gets placed to the side. To find the beginning point of the story is sometimes difficult as so many journeys prior have been woven day by day in creating this one moment in time. I think back and remember the Elders teaching me about Prayer...how important it is to do things the way they have shown as it links us to all those who have been shown those ways in the past. How one misstep can and does affect the outcome of whatever it is we are praying about, working on, wishing to have happen in our lives or those who are dear to us. Again am giving thanks for Traditional ways and the portions that I have been gifted with or ways that have been shared with me. We are the answers to our Ancestors Prayers...

And as each Sunrise comes over the horizon we can, through prayer, reconnect to the first Sunrise...the Sunrise that occurred when our Children were born...the Sunrise that occurred at Sundance...or after a Peyote meeting...and the healing that happened in the past, can continue to live on...as we continue to Pray. Last Friday night I was able to go to a Concert put on in Rhinelander that benefited Standing Rock and the Prayers being said for the Water. I didn't arrive early, and had to leave early--so no new friends were made--yet was able to connect spiritually with other like minded folks, praying as I have been for so long for our Children, for the Water, for Mother Earth. Following the evening I had several days with limited pain. Such a blessing...as I'm not able at present to go out there myself.

And? Sunday we hear that President Obama has not granted the easement for DAPL to continue digging. Again, such a blessing...Yesterday we hear that the companies behind the pipeline are going to continue the drilling/digging/pipeline even though it is now illegal. Beyond that? Mother Nature has moved in and begun their hard winter. Drifts that can happen upwards of 8 ft at a time--with winter's snow sometimes breaking telephone poles as they reach up and surpass the phone lines. Thousands of Veteran's, Chiefs and People from all over the World are there...braving the Winter, or at least the first signs of what Mother Nature can look like out west. A good teaching point for all of the protesters when Obama tells them they can all go home now and Mother Nature makes it impassable. Adding another layer now to the Prayer for safety, sustenance and peace to be plentiful and the lessons as gentle as a feather brushing against your skin.

In a recent email, Eleanor Bravo from Food & Water Watch indicates the following:

Some good news — yesterday, the Army Corps of Engineers put a halt to the Dakota Access Pipeline by denying a key permit for the pipeline to cross the Missouri River next to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.
Dallas Goldtooth of the Indigenous Environmental Network said:

“Today, the Obama Administration has told us they are not granting the final easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline. This is not just an amazing victory for Standing Rock and the Oceti Sakowin — but also for the many other Tribal Nations, grassroots Indigenous communities and millions of Americans around the country who have stood in solidarity with us here in person, at rallies around the country, and through phone calls and letters. This is a victory for organizing, and it doesn't stop now. We are asking our supporters to keep up the pressure, because while President Obama has granted us a victory today, that victory isn't guaranteed in the next administration. More threats are likely in the year to come, and we cannot stop until this pipeline is completely and utterly defeated, and our water and climate are safe.”¹

Ask President Obama to PERMANENTLY stop the Dakota Access Pipeline to protect the Standing Rock Sioux's drinking water and sovereign rights.
The fight is not over. The corporations behind the pipeline — Energy Transfer Partners and Sonoco Logistics — want to move full steam ahead with the project to carry Bakken crude oil across native lands in North Dakota and down through farmlands and across waterways in South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois.

And while the Obama administration is beginning to show the Standing Rock Sioux the dignity and respect they deserve, we know President-elect Trump will not do the same. Not only has Trump expressed his support for finishing the pipeline, but he is personally invested in Energy Transfer Partners — one of the multinational corporations building the pipeline.²

President Obama must come up with a permanent solution to stopping the Dakota Access Pipeline before Donald Trump takes office.

We can't allow a private oil and gas corporation to build a dirty and dangerous pipeline through sacred indigenous lands, put key waterways at risk and keep us addicted to climate-changing fossil fuels.

In the past months, following the lead of our indigenous allies on the ground, Food & Water Watch staff, volunteers and supporters have organized and supported solidarity actions across the country. We did the research on the financial backers of the pipeline to expose the ties of big banks,³ we’ve held fundraisers to support the camps, and our staff have traveled to Standing Rock to bring supplies and show support — in fact, we have staff are on the ground right now. Members and supporters like you have generated more than 70,000 letters and made more than 5,600 phone calls to get President Obama to finally take action. I can't thank you enough for all you've done.

While this decision from the Obama administration and the Army Corps of Engineers is an important moment, we must all continue to stand against the injustices against Native peoples and their allies.
In North Dakota, the water protectors are preparing to keep all five camps running throughout the harsh winter. I hope that supporters like you will continue to support those on the frontline.

Here's what else you can do to help:

December is a Global Month of #NoDAPL action: Check out the map to find an event near you.
Donate to support the Water Protectors in resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline.
- Indigenous Rising — a project of Indigenous Environmental Network.
- Water Protector Legal Collective — to fund legal defense for those who have been arrested.
- Standing Rock Medic and Healer Council — to support those needing medical treatment as a result of violence inflicted on water protectors.
Other. Check out the #NoDAPL Solidarity website for more information and ways to support the indigenous-led movement to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline.

I'm so proud to stand with you and others across the country to support Native communities. Thank you for everything you've done to stop pipelines that threaten our communities, our drinking water and our precious climate.

In solidarity,