Check it Out: ‘Awake – A Dream from Standing Rock’
I want to commend to you a great documentary I just saw called, ‘Awake
– A Dream from Standing Rock’, which follows the 2016 grassroots movement of
indigenous people living in the Standing Rock reservation in response to the
plan to route part of the Bakken crude oil pipeline close by the North Dakota
portion of their reservation.
Other than following the news during the protests, I didn’t
get involved in any activism to support Standing Rock. Now, I’m sorry I didn’t.
In December, President Obama delayed the pipeline by
ordering the completion of an environmental impact assessment before the easement
for the construction of the pipeline, which would run under the Missouri River,
would be approved.
Then, Trump abruptly reversed all that on his second day in
office by signing an executive order to go forward with that part of the
pipeline construction. The public comment portion of the environmental impact
assessment was shut down. The people in opposition were silenced. In April of
this year, the pipeline was completed, and in May, the first crude oil ran
through it.
I should have acted for this cause, and I don’t know why I
didn’t. Why did I turn my face away from this one? This is not only an issue of
the rights of this land’s aboriginal people: it’s about corporate meddling into
private lives, environmental responsibility, ruthless capitalism, freedom of
speech, government control and accountability, police violence, personal
responsibility, and a lot more.
I missed the mark completely, and now I’m sitting with the
self-loathing of that.
‘Awake – A Dream from Standing Rock’ is available on
Netflix now. Check it out.
I’m back to reading Rohinton Mistry’s fiction. Such a great
storyteller. Last night before bed, I read one of his shorts, ‘The Exercisers’.
At about 25 pages, it took me almost an hour to read. I don’t race through
literature and don’t understand people who do. I’ll always read a second or
third time a phrase that’s written particularly well or a paragraph that flows
beautifully. I’m in no rush.
It’s almost time to harvest our Okinawa sweet potatoes. We
just need one good evening frost, and it looks like we’ll have one in a few
weeks. If all turns out well, we’ll have plenty of purple sweet potatoes for November
and December, and lots to give away. The only thing left in the food gardens
besides the Okinawas is the Italian parsley.
It’s time to turn our attention elsewhere. Home and nesting;
feeding ourselves high prana food; caring for our dogs, the wild birds, and
each other; ayurvedic practice and studies; keeping warm while conserving
energy; planning the 2018 gardens; and now, being of service to the indigenous
people of this land in any way I’m able. Evolving. Let winter begin.
Barbie xo
