Today, On my bornday, Blessed to be in Solidarity with the Sacred, our Water Protectors and Mauna Kea Ohana...rebEARTHing in gratitude for the sacred fire still burning with Goddess Pele, for the courage of all our water and peak protectors.
Our hearts stand with you from Missouri in reverence and remembrance of the peaceful protectors that withstood unimaginable hostility in prayer, in love, in peace for all of us to share clean water...forever changing the course of history and awakening an Ancient memory of the Earth as our Mother and we are all sisters and brothers.
This is Quote from my sister Kumu, Pua Case, the organizer of the event mentioned above:
"On Thursday I made the journey to the lua pele, to the volcano to offer the coal brought back from the sacred fire at Standing Rock. By offering it there, my intention was that the eternal fire would never go out. I saved a piece of it to be directly offered at a flow in Kalapana. I had no idea the fire would be put out at Standing Rock but I hold the prayer that the fire is still going, still burning here, we keep the fire burning for you and for us all. From Mauna Kea to Standing Rock..fire and water, smoke and ice..we are still here!"
"That early morning I arrived at the Contested Case Hearing with a coal in my hand, a coal that had been passed to me one hand to the next, a coal from the sacred fire of Sacred Stone, given to a friend, brought to Hawaii and gifted to me. Only one instruction was provided, "You know what to do with it, you do it." It was December and Hawane and I were going to be leaving for North Dakota and I was to question the pro TMT witness that morning but I managed to get my turn switched to the end of the day by telling the hearing officer that I had to go to the volcano that morning to do ceremony. I knew it had to be that morning, I just felt it. Once everyone agreed I left for the volcano taking with me a reporter who was interviewing me for an audio project. Once we got to the volcano I went to see the supervisor to let them know I needed to get as close as I could to the crater. With chants, prayers and offerings, I broke the coal in half and threw it ceremoniously as far as I could. I asked Pele to keep the fires burning for Standing Rock, Sacred Stone, the fire within each protector there, joining us together in an alliance through the sacred flame. The other half I gave to the person, a dear friend who had gifted me the stone in the first place and I asked him to go to the actual flames near Kalapana and place the coal in the flames.
As I left the lua pele, I received a call from several of the warriors from Red Warrior Camp, in sadness and distress, they had left the camp as they informed me that the sacred fire had been put out that morning. I knew then why I had been guided to do what I had done. I said, "Not, the fire is still burning, dont distress, dont be sad, the fire burns here in the volcano, we will keep the fire burning until the relatives ask us to have pele put it out or until they light their fire again." We had brought the fire in that one tiny coal to the every burning biggest sacred fire and indeed it would remain here." I would never have thought that just months later an entire contingent from North Dakota, all who had been at Sacred Stone and Standing Rock would travel here for World Peace and Prayer Day and witness the fire that still burns today, their sacred fire held in safe keeping by the Mauna ʻOhana.
Two nights ago a film was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah and Mauna Kea was represented in it. The film is called Akicita, honoring the front lines, the warriors who would give everything even their lives for the water and for the people.
I waited for the review to be sent my way and what I heard I would not have expected. That the words I had uttered in the film changed this warrior as he watched it, the Indigenous tongue through the prayer of Na ʻAumakua and my words of deep aloha for warriors, water protectors and land defenders touched something in him and he knew that everything that he had done so far was not for nothing, it meant something and it filled him.
Iʻve chosen this picture for every relative that has touched me, warriors on front lines stronger than their fear, singing their songs, uttering their prayers and holding those lines in the best way that they could. They changed me, they touched my heart, they strengthened and taught me and in return I hope I did a little of the same."
This is a quote from Wasté Win Young, one of our Water Protectors at Standing Rock.
I remember being in those dog kennels in the garage of Morton County. They put a tarp over one side of our kennel so we could not see anyone. But we could hear the males in their kennels. There were about 70 of us all together. Next to our kennel was a framed picture on the wall. It was titled, "American Dog Breeds." It was a huge poster of all kinds of dogs. I remember Jenni Monet kept asking for a phone call until Dave Psyk, (?) the boss of the jail hollered and pointed at her, "You just put us 300% over capacity."
I remember the female guard telling me to get undressed. I handed my undergarments to her. She turned them inside out, shook them out, kept my bra and handed my underwear back to me. She said, "Go ahead and get dressed" and handed me an orange suit.
Little did we know none of us would get a phone call or get bonded out for 3 days. We were able to talk to our lawyers via phone on the 2nd night around midnight. The first 2 mornings the Dave guy came in and said, "Get dressed you have court at 2pm." (Like we had any other clothes to put on. Lol) Just to get everyone excited then the whole day would pass. Het.
Is that a real law that says inmates are allowed a phone call? How about being held longer than 48 hours with no charges or bond? Or did we get classified as terrorists so they could hold us indefinitely? I don't have to lie, embellish, or make anything up about this experience. It's all true because we lived it. I have no regrets. I now have a new beautiful extended family from all over the world. I feel so honored and blessed that everyone came here, to our homelands, to help us.
These are the random things I think about a year later. Still, forever, #nodapl. #mníwiconi
Pila miya ye. Wopila tanka.
(photo by Kelly Daniels)
Read more from her here:
https://www.canoekayak.com/news/water-is-life-standing-rock-protest/
To carry this water, river of my birth, in my heart forever, in prayer to remember, WE are the Mountain! We are the fire, water, earth and sky. With heart open wide may our Prayers be lifted to the skies, and crystallize our strength to stand firm in solidarity for all that is sacred. 🗻🌍🗻🌎🗻🌏🗻 from mountain to mountain, heart to heart, river to sea, may we be a living testimony of our Ancestors dreams.