By Becky Gillette – Suzanne and Mark Eastburn of Rock Springs consider a recent trip to the Standing Rock Indian Reservation to participate in opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline one of the highlights of their lives.
“We, like many others, were in great need of healing after the poison of the election, and this was the perfect antidote,” said Mark, who is retired from Eastburn Heating and Air. “We came to help the indigenous people and ended up receiving help. For a few days, we were cured of our ills. I lifted and carried more than I have in the last ten years, with no backaches or joint problems. I was just good old fashioned tired. Suzanne noticed she wasn’t sluggish or unsteady while we were there. There is so much to be done. I picked up litter, sorted recycling, gathered cardboard for insulation, and learned to erect a teepee for an elder called Black Horse.”
Suzanne said it was an unforgettable experience. “It seemed magical,” she said. “People were helping other people, giving them tents to stay in and whatever they needed. There was a whole tent full of gloves and hand warmers. One tent was set up for coats and boots. The people in the kitchen fed whoever needed a meal. Whatever you needed was there.”
The Eastburns consider this one of the most significant environmental protests of their lifetimes. “The pipeline is totally wrong and, if allowed to be built, would eventually pollute both the Missouri and the Mississippi Rivers,” Suzanne said. “At the camp they had seven Indian chiefs representing tribes that had never gotten together in modern history. They were reunited with seven tipis. There were flags of all the nations with about one hundred nations present.
“I worked in the pantry quite a bit, getting canned goods inside and on the shelves. They didn’t have any electricity to be able to see in the pantry so we used generated power from our RV to have lights in pantry.”
The Eastburns, who were Hillary Clinton supporters, had decided a week before the election to go to Standing Rock.
“It was healing to be up there to help,” Suzanne said. “It was spiritually uplifting. Everybody was very polite and non-aggressive. It was almost like a sit in. If the pipeline security people hit them, they just took it. They didn’t fight back. It was sad about the pipeline security shooting them with the rubber bullets. Those left big welts. We saw that firsthand.”
One of the things that made the trip particularly special to them was meeting up there with their niece from Seattle, Tara Greenwood. “Tara called just before we were leaving home and said her car had been stolen, so she had taken leave from her job,” Mark said. “When the car showed back up, undamaged, she was inspired by our email and she was on the road, halfway to Standing Rock. Wow, what a place to reunite! She had so much helpful information. There was an orientation meeting instructing us on indigenous customs and how to respect them. Because the camp is on disputed land, we were asked not to take photos, which we respected. This was not out of custom as much as security. Your photos could be used by law enforcement against you or someone else.”
Eastburn said there was no discussion of the recent election outcome. Instead, people were focused on working together.
“There is a lot to be done,” Mark said. “It takes a lot of wood splitting and sorting out donations. It is just a continuous process. We were there to support the Natives so they could spend their time with prayers and what they call direct actions as far as protests. Our experience was absolute fellowship. It was such a positive, positive place. I’ve never been in anything like it. It was drug free, alcohol free and weapon free. Those are three things they absolutely insist on. They have their own Native American security people to enforce that.”
Mark said the camp is out on a nearly treeless, grassy flood plain near the confluence of the Cannon Ball and Missouri Rivers. In times long past this would have been the summer camp for indigenous Sioux who would move to the Black Hills where there is plenty of fuel for winter.
“The entry road is lined with the flags of all the tribes, too many to count, that have come together in support of the Standing Rock Sioux,” he said. “There are large army type tents that house the supply office and the next area is reserved for the sacred fire, which is tended 24/7. Around the fire people come and go, and there is a Native speaker who makes announcements throughout the day over a public address system. The PA is also used to bring prayers, songs and stories to those in earshot.
“Tipis, personal tents, yurts, geodesic domes and RVs make up the homes and project centers. There are no permanent structures. Everything must be easily taken down in case the authorities force the camp to evacuate. No one tells you where to camp; you just join an existing camp which has a shared fire. Some Indian camps have forty or more sharing one fire to conserve wood. The Native rule is never having a fire that is higher than your knees. If you do, you cannot control it. One fire is home to the seven nations of the Sioux who have never before banded together. This was an historical event.”
It is estimated that there were about 10,000 people at Standing Rock at one point. Mark said while they were there, the Indian youth organized a prayer wheel one night and nine hundred people showed up – so many that it had to be made into a prayer spiral.
“There is such a subtle attraction to Standing Rock, people just seem to be drawn to it,” Mark said. “Nothing there is frantic, just busy. No one is trying to indoctrinate anyone.”
The Eastburns came home earlier than expected because of an illness in the family. They would like to go back – but not in the depth of winter when it can be brutally cold. Mark said while it wasn’t that cold while they were there, blowing wind is constant.
“The cold can be overcome with hard work, of which there is plenty,” he said.
In early December the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers temporarily blocked the project by required a full Environmental Impact Project under Lake Oahe, which was considered a monumental victory. But owners of the pipeline said they plan to press forward.
The Eastburns recommend people who want to help make contributions at StandingRock.org.