“But most important, we love the water. Every year, our people sacrifice. We go four days without drinking water, so that it reminds us how important this water is. And I ask everybody: Do you go four days without water? What happens to your body on that third day? Your body starts shutting down. So, we remind ourselves every day how important. We say mni wiconi, water of life. Every time we drink water, we say mni wiconi, water of life. We cannot live without water. So I don’t understand why America doesn’t understand how important water is. So we have no choice. We have to stand. No matter what happens, we have to stand to save the water.”

~ Ta Maka Waste Win, Her Good Earth Woman ~ (LaDonna Brave Bull Allard)

i learned today of the death of a being of astonishing light,Her Good Earth Woman, Standing Rock tribal historian, who died of cancer at the age of 64… co-founding the Sacred Stone Camp on her family’s Standing Rock land in April 2016 to resist the Dakota Access pipeline, people from around the world traveled there making it one of the largest gatherings of Indigenous peoples in a century… let’s listen to more of the wisdom from this elder who inspired the world…

“I told Dakota Access that if I’m the only person standing, I’m standing. They will not build this pipeline. I have personal reasons, though, you know? You know, my son is buried there. And I’m just a mom. But in my mind, I can’t conceive anybody to build a pipeline next to my son’s grave. So, like I tell everybody, it’s not some grandiose “save the world.” It’s just a mom. So, that’s just on my personal side. But did you see where I live? Oh my god, it is so beautiful. I mean, every day the buffalo are out there. The eagles are out there. I love my river…

I tell people that this is not about just this pipeline. It’s about the water. It’s about the water. It’s about having the right to live our lives. It’s about being able to make sure my grandchildren has clean water. To me, it’s just like common sense. And so, we must — we must stop this…

We are fulfilling prophesy now. The prophesies our people told a hundred years ago are coming to pass. I see them before my eyes. Nothing is going to go back. We can only change. My whole idea is to have the world change their worldview, that maybe we can live with the Earth instead of destroying the Earth. And I’m hoping that all people can get that message…”

may Her Good Earth Woman’s dream, the prophecy of the black snake (oil pipeline) and her teachings to love the land and water be fulfilled…