When you back us against the brick wall, all things we can do is put one foot in front of the other and push forward, ...like the buffalo... we have to face the storm!
Dear reader, this is a transcription of an interview that was held some time ago by Jordan from TYT with LaDonna Brave Bull Allard.
I have choosen this interview because LaDonna took me at my heart, the most impressive peace of footage I have seen so far regarding the #Standing Rock and #NoDAPL issue.
She is a most impressive woman, as a Lakota would say, a Winyan.
I bow before her and hopefully her wish at the end of the interview will come true.
And hopefully we can move people to go and pray with their the waters.This is my next objective!
I will further translate this to make it comprehensible for all those in Germany, who are NOT that able to understand English.
May be, reading is not as hard as hearing it, besides SEEING LaDonna, as she speaks is an immeasurable treasure.
This is the link to the original vid and I recommend everyone to see it, although the information is some weeks old, and things are proceeding!
https://www.facebook.com/TYTpolitics/videos/1761044707476570
Since I am German and American English is not my mother tongue, and all the more all those different indigenous languages, (I try some Lakota Words :) ), I have translated some words as I hear them.
I have put them in (parentheses) and marked with a question mark (?).
Some inserts I have put in italic, mentioning emotions or comments of mine
I appreciate any comment that helps to improve the transcription!
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The Interview:
Jordan:
This is Jordan with TYT and TYT Politics. I am here at Sacred Stone Camp, right down in North Dakota near the Standing Rock Reservation, where the Dakota Access Pipeline is being build.
I am here with LaDonna Brave Bull Allard, you are on the Sacred Stone Land , and we spoke weeks ago and a lot of things have changed since I was last here.
Police Brutality and Surveillance is increasing and you personally experienced that recently as your daughter was arrested, so I will let you explain what happened and tell me about the situation here now obviously what happened of your daughter and beyond that.
LaDonna:
So things have started to escalate here with our protest, every body comes in every day to pray, to sing, to share a song, a dance.
But the police, the riot gear and the actions have increased.
We have the front line people go out right now, they are met with riot police assault weapons, tanks, fully armor, people with full riot gear. Not anybody, not anybody in these camps are violent, they have come here with prayer, song, dance and ceremony.
So the other day my daughter was riding with 4 other individuals, going to highway 6, there where not a part of any action, they where not at any event, they where just driving and she called me up and she said "Mom, the police are following me" and I said "well, follow the speed limit", and she said "Ok we going 45".
Then she called me "Mom, there are now tree police cars" and I said "OK just follow the speed limit" and she said "Mom, they are pulling us over" and I said "Ok".. she left the phone on and she is a passenger in this car.
So they came and they pulled the door open and she said "Why are you arresting me?" and nobody responded.
She said "Why did you stop us..?" and then she yelled at the phone "Mom, they are arresting me" and I said "Can you hear me?" and she said "They are arresting me.. why are you arresting us, why are you arresting the people in the back seat, they did nothing.. they arresting me!.. " and then her phone went dead.They had taken her up to the Morton County Jail.
My daughter is a very private person so when they got her up there, she had said to me "Mom, they took me in a room and three male officers and one female officer stipped her naked and then they took her naked and they put in a jail cell and left her there, all night. Then in the morning they came and gave here an orange jump suit. So we went from the camp up to Morton County and said "What is she arrested for?"
First it was "for Speeding" ...my daughter wasn't driving.
Then they said it was "Hindering an officer!" and then the second charge was "Hindering a government project", (Stunned) .. she was driving on the road ..!
Then it was 500$ because she lived at the camp, then it was 1000$, because they didn't like her attitude and so when we finally got her out of jail, ...she's kind of devastated, my daughter is not a people person, so she went home and she's got to think about this.
But we do know that now that the list is gone out, they are targeting our families. We are up against up a billion dollar corporation at this time and they are using every means "necessary". We have the helicopters, the planes, the drones that are going through, doing facial recognition as we talk. They have come down into the camps, they count the number of people are here, what we are doing and they are here constantly.
They monitor every one, as we walk, I know and my husband knows. Because I go to Bismarck ever day to pick up supplies for the camp, they know exactly who we are when we go through, they don't even talk to me, when I go through the barricades.
But things are gonna step up, as every body knows on morning they arrested 9 more of our protectors and we are. I think some around 200 people (Ydalir: It have been 140) are arrested, every time they go to the court, they throw the cases out of court because there is no jurisdiction for the complaints.
As we see things are happening and progressing.. (Breaking voice under tears)
... WE HAVE TO STOP THEM...
We have no choice, we have to stop them, I cannot ALLOW them ...I WILL not allow them... to come across and destroy this sacred sites, these burial sites ... (not comprehensible.. ) this is my home! I can't allow it!
(Heavily under tears)
And I pray for each one of the ones that go to jail, I pray for them because they're really really strong people. I pray for the (grandmas?), that are on the front line right now.. and it's really hard, because if we don't stand up they'll kill us, if we DON'T STAND UP NOW, there will be nothing left of our people.
We have NO Choice, there is no Place else we can go, once that water is gone (upset) there is NOBODY come and help us!
My people here, we where not.. (more upset) middle income or high income, everybody is low income or below poverty!
We exist... we live with the land, theses people exist on hunting and fishing and gathering.. as we've always have.. and you come and devastate my people more?
We have nothing and there is nobody to come and help us!
So we have no choice but to stand!
We have to stand up!
I keep telling the same thing over and over:
When you back us against the brick wall, all things we can do is put one foot in front of the other and push forward like the buffalo, we have to face the storm!
We are NOT backing down!
I AM not backing down!
(Handing back the mic)
Jordan:
For your daughter in particular, what was a reason given for arresting a passenger, did they also arrest the driver?
Also, what possible explanation, if you got one, did they have reasons for leaving your daughter naked for a full night, that's obviously not legal and a brutal act!
Why was she arrested as a passenger, why did they do that, did you get an explanation and are you taking any measures against them?
LaDonna:
We got no answers, we got nobody that would talk to us, and yes we will!
Jordan:
And this is local city police or this was state police?
Was this private security?
LaDonna:
This is Morton County Department. You are on the Standing Rock Reservation here, at Sacred Stone Camp, but when you cross the river that is Morton County that is their jurisdiction.
Although as we see, they have brought additional police force from the additional areas to come in and help them. As our newspapers tell us one of their deputies from one of the people that came in was found intoxicated and I keep on thinking: Are these the people that are supposed to protect us?
Oh WAIT..
Our police department are supposed to protect people not corporations.
Our police department supposed to protect the communities, not Oil Companies!
Jordan:
Considering they probably tailed your daughter or her friends car, do you see this happening where leaders in sacred stone camp, or other camps, you said that they are targeting you, do you feel they are doing this essentially to get you to back down?
LaDonna:
They THINK that we will back down.
But you know I have been thinking a lot about all of this and I don't think that they have ever come across whats happening now.
And they don't understand, this is only History repeating [sic!] itselfs, they did the same thing to Sitting Bull, they did the same thing to (Gal?) and (Gras?)
They came in they came after their Families.
Its not going to happen, as the governor of North Dakota said he'll send a (tail protection?) to remove our children, its not going to happen, they close down the schools so we can't educate our kids,that's not going to happen.
We will not allow theses scare tactics and we will not allow their infiltrators that come in with rumors and gossips to divide us.
It will not happen again, we will stand together.
Jordan:
For a lot of people who are not here, don't live here, and haven't been following, they saw the news weeks ago, President Obama, the Department of Justice, halt a certain area of this construction, so for people who aren't paying attention, obviously the media isn't covering it, they thought "Oh great , it stopped", what they don't know, is they kept on building in that specific area, that injunction has been lifted.
Can you talk about how close they are towards the water in building and how close they are to completion?
LaDonna:
Dakota Access had been working 24/7, they have never stopped construction, we keep monitors on them day and night as they do on us.
They are approximately I'd say 14 miles away right now. They do not have the legal permit from the army corps to drill yet and the Army Corps, I believe, is gonna go back to consulting with the tribes.
If they do not have the pipeline constructed and ready for the oil by December 1st, they will loose a great deal of money, it all about money!
Every day that we can stop them they loose a million dollars
(They are disturbed by helicopters)
Jordan:
I should say its a little jarring watching helicopters over peaceful protectors, I just covered this morning a peaceful march, nobody was arrested in this one and there was helicopters and a hundred police with assault rifles and billy clubs.
You have been living with that now for.. month?
LaDonna (with a small voice):
Since April 1st, when we started the camp we have been on the ground 6 month and 15 days.
Jordan:
Where is your bigger picture?
What you have here is private companies, obviously for corporate reasons, for profit, doing as they please and essential the government is closing their eyes and looking the other way.
Obviously the most important is your land, but if they complete this pipeline, what are the ramifications for the entire country, for the entire world.
If things like that can be build on your land and the government doesn't do anything.
I know there is still ways to stop the oil from flowing even it is built.
But what is the bigger picture when this is completed.
(Ydalir: the following part is the most impressive to me)
LaDonna:
It won't be!
But I can only go from our view:
So you have this giant tree and this tree lives and you have this huge tree and you have a major branch that goes out and you got all these small creeks and streams.
And so for us, we see this this giant tree, its roots are dying in the gulf of Mexico.
The major tree is coming up the Mississippi and we are the branch, the large branch that comes off this river... (very emotional)
The tree is starting to die and so we have to do, we know that if we can take this live branch and keep it alive, we can keep the world alive.
So in our mind if we keep and try to protect the water, we protect all the living beings, we protect the water, we protect the people.
This is not about MY land, this is not about this river, its about every Water, it is about the water of the world.
This is way bigger than this small part (of the world)
And for me everybody in the whole world needs to stand up and start praying, cleaning, preparing to save the water, because without the water we die.
For us, we know the water is female, because to the water we give birth and we bring children into this world.
So every female knows and understands how important this water is.
So this is bigger than that, its about the water and its about the right to live.
And we have the right to live.
Jordan:
My assumption would be if they are rushing to build this pipeline by December 1st, that means they are building this very quickly, very hastily and that would lead to more mistakes and more probability of spills.
(Ydalir: Very true)
LaDonna:
So that is one of the things that we have been saying from the beginning and how many spills (are in that core alone?), almost 300 spills. (Ydalir: could not fully understand this sentence)
What have they done with those spills?
Nothing, they not even going back an cleaning them up.
Right now, as we sit here, and we watch (the cancer rays of our people?) rise ...
and who is coming to save us?
No body?!
And when this pipeline breaks, who is gonna come?
No body?!
Because the corporations already have it in their policies, they are not responsible for these spills.
(Ydalir Comment:meaning they KNOW that there will be spills!)
And I keep on saying : "Do you see what these people are doing?"
This morning I was thinking (about) "I understand, may be a little bit, Rome fell, and before Rome fell we had these crazy people heading Rome, they where vastly corrupt and that's what is happening here in America today?!"
(Ydalir: This is the most moving part for me)
Jordan:
I am sorry to have to ask this, but I was told this and I want to confirm it from you:
In building over burial sites, is it accurate that they are desecrating burial sites and one of those buried there was your son?!
LaDonna:
So my son is buried on the hill, right over here, (breaking voice) tomorrow is his birthday, so we gonna get up and go up and clean the grave today.
You know, when they first started talking about putting that pipeline right here, I buried my son up here, my father is buried there, (two weeks?) are buried my cousin up there, and I keep on thinking, we buried them here at the mouth of the cannonball and Missouri river, so they would always have peace...!
Who builds a pipeline next to family graves.. ?
Who does that?
Who has the right to do that?
And so as we look over here right across we have Mathilda Galpin
(http://www.american-tribes.com/Lakota/BIO/EagleWoman.htm),
the only Woman to sign the Fort Laramy Treaty of 1868 burried here.
We have all the (Wikora?) graves, the Mandan, the Cheyenne, all of the (Ihunctowa?) graves, these graves are still here, this sun dance grounds, the ceremonial grounds, there was medicine buried in this ground a long time ago, this was a major trade area.
This whole area is a cultural property and how can anybody come and destroy that?
(in an upset mood)
What right has anybody to come and take our footprint OFF the earth?
To erase us from this earth?
We are the aboriginal people, we ARE the people!
We have a right to live, we did not ask for anything special!
We didn't tell these people to come and do this to us!
All we want to do is take care of our families, raise our children, our grand children and live in this land, that we've always lived in.
Nothing else.. we're not asking for special favors, we're asking for the right to live!
(getting aware of what she'd said)
"Oh WAIT..."
WE DON'T HAVE TO ASK FOR THE RIGHT!
WE SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO LIVE!
As a human being.
Jordan:
Last question, for viewers who are watching this, disgusted, upset, what can they do to help?
Obviously people have come, people have sent donations, people share things on social media, but what is the immediate help, people, you need here?
Is it bodies on the ground, what do you need?
LaDonna:
We do need more bodies on the ground, the more people stand together the better off we are.
(emphasized)
But what I need, what I need, is for everybody, every where top go to their water and pray with their water. Every where people stand up for their water, their creeks, their rivers, their streams.
Where ever they are: STAND, because we can save the world, it is not to late, we can do it.
If everybody stands for their water, where ever they are!
Jordan:
Thank you very much, I appreciate it!
Ydalir: So do I!
Translation to follow
#NoDAPL
#StandingWithStandingRock
#WaterIsLife
#MniWiconi
Vielen lieben Dank für deine Mühe und Dein Engagement!!
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