September 16, 2016
Alaska's Big Village Network-
Request for support the Peace Pony to Standing Rock and Sacred Stones Camp
WATER IS LIFE!
Unguvauguq meq!
(Yupik language)
Mni Wiconi!
(Lakota Language)
WATER IS LIFE!
Sacred Stones Camp- Supply and Support Mission to Standing Rock Reservation of the Hunkpapa Lakota and Yaktonai Dakota Territory
Who is Alaska's Big Village Network (ABVN)?
Alaska's Big Village Network (ABVN) is a free association of peoples whose mission is to create communities of inclusion between Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous Peoples for the betterment of healthy communities. ABVN believes the process of inclusion is healing for the health of all peoples with all due respect to the guidance and wisdom of the elders, reverence for Mother Earth and actions taking to protect the future generations.ABVN started in the nexus of Alaska's biggest indigenous village, which is the current modern city of Anchorage, Alaska, where 100s of languages and cultures are shared from around the world.
ABVN is currently on a long road journey across the Salmon territories that connect to inland waters of the Bison territories in which thousands of communities and hundreds of indigenous communities call home.
What is ABVN doing?
The Peace Pony (cargo/passenger van) is bringing 4 people with diverse skill sets and some supplies to stand with Standing Rock and the Water Protectors. We just need some support with gas and emergency hotel/shelter for the drive out and back to the Pacific Northwest. We are starting this call out for support from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation in Montana and will be driving East on I-90 to the Missouri River to the Sacred Stones camp on the Cannonball River drainage of the Hunkpapa Lakota and Yaktonai Dakota territories.
ABVN has cargo van of supplies and skilled personal to work with Standing Rock relations to ensure safe communication as well as passenger transport to and from Sacred Stones camp. With winter season coming and global climate induced warming and unusual oscillating temperatures and the high probability of extreme weather events, we will assist in continued development of tribal emergency response communications and support tribal initiatives. We have some skills at winter builds/camping, cooking, winter survival and basic emergency response management.
This leg of the journey includes bringing some colder weather gear, tarps, cooking stoves and solar lights to assist the campers braving the colder weather this changing season. ABVN is continuing to providing collaborative personal and professional networking support for Standing Rock and front line Water Protectors helping to ensure safe and peaceful relations.
What do we need?
ABVN needs
Immediately to reach camp:
a) gas cards (money) for the cargo van, $450 for the trip
b) 1-2 hotel rewards/coupons – emergency shelter(cash).
Can transport and/or help facilitate the delivery of the following to camp:
c) An inverter (or gift card for an inverter)
d) medical kits and medical supplies
e) childrens school supplies
f) wool materials such as blankets, clothing, socks, hats, etc.
g) winter pants/bibs and jackets (including Carhart cold weather pants, outdoor bibs, etc)
h) indigenous foods- wild foods- dried/canned fish and meats
I) firewood
k) work gloves
l) more legal observers, medics, cold weather builders
m) meals for families
n) marine radios
o) cold weather sleeping gear such as extreme cold military sleeping bags\
p) generators/heaters/stoves
For more info and background check out:
CONTACT: Carl Wassilie 574-387-8162 or 907-744-
Why
is Alaska's Big Village Network (ABVN) bringing supplies and support
to Sacred Stones Camp Water Protectors?
ABVN
recently
completed a road trip providing creative art, music, food and basic
support with front-line indigenous communities addressing restoration
of sacred salmon. We traveled from the inland waters of the Columbia
River Watershed, participating in the Free the Snake River Flotilla
in solidarity with Niimiipoo (Nez Pierce), Save our Wild Salmon,
Backbone Campaign and Mosquito Fleet in supporting efforts to take
the dams down and let the Chinook Salmon run freely again along the
Snake River.
http://www.freethesnake.com/
After floating on the water with inland canoe families
and kayakers, we travelled by van down to Mt. Shasta watershed to
support the prayer journey and honor the 300-mile Run 4 Salmon by the
Winnemem Wintu to restore and protect healthy Rivers along the
historical journey of the Chinook salmon from the Sacramento-San
Joaquin Delta to the Winnemem (McCloud River) addressing policies
threatening waters, indigenous cultural survival and lifeways.
http://www.run4salmon.org/
ABVN
recognizes and respects the wisdom of the elders standing up to the
past sufferings of hundreds of years of colonial oppression and are
now calling for Prayers for Peace of Humankind and learn to respect
the Rights of Mother Earth. ABVN also gives reverence and honor for
the young Indigenous Runners for Peace and Dignity as they inherit
the responsibilities to our Future Generations. ABVN acknowledges
the Human Rights of Children to a Clean Environment. ABVN also
recognizes the civic duties of Human Beings to ensure Indigenous
Peoples cultural survival as critical for Wisdom keepers in healing
the planet; we call Mother Earth.
What is the camp?
The
camp is full of peaceful people praying and gathering for future
generations to Water and challenging the Black Snake (DAPL) as it
attempts to carry poison (crude oil) across
an industrial pipeline;
threatening and putting at high risk millions of American children'
and pregnant mothers' drinking water.
ABVN
is acutely aware of the largest indigenous gathering in modern
history, with Tribes and global civic society supporting the Water
Protectors. ABVN is contributing to the spiritual uprising of global
civic society and human beings to return harmony with Mother Earth
and are conduits for Peace, Freedom of Speech, and Non-Violent Direct
Action to highlight the disparities that Human Beings have against
western desires. We pray for the Return of America's Wild Bison,
America's Wild Salmon and Food Security for Children.
ABVN
acknowledges this historic moment of communication between the United
States of America and Tribal Governments regarding preservation of
Sacred Landscapes, Sacred Sites and Sacred Waters in the line of the
Western Myth of “progress and development”. The implications of
the United States Government and States political actions and
policies impact hundreds of Tribal Governments in Alaska on waters,
freedom of Religion, Historic Artifacts and Cultural Sites of
spiritual significance for Cultural Survival (of all Human Beings-
universal declaration).
The
black snake attempting to be created for this western myth is today
is the pipeline of Balkan crude oil via Dakota Access Pipeline (aka
poisonous black snake prophecy) threatening the climate-induced
biological fragility of America's “bread basket”.
As
well as the main source of Life for the indigenous peoples of the
plains, the waters of the Mississippi and Missouri watershed
bio-regions provide for millions of Americans in one of North
America's biggest watersheds that supports America's drinking water,
grain lines, livestock, fisheries and food sources for hundreds of
millions of people.
