“Mni Wiconi: The Stand at Standing Rock” provides a short but comprehensive look into how this historic demonstration began. The film features water protectors from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and allies trying to stop the $3.7 billion, 1,100-mile Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) from crossing over sacred lands and underneath the Missouri River.
Those protecting the water are asking this video be shared as widely as possible, “so people around the world understand the gross injustice taking place against the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota.” It was released in hopes of persuading the Obama administration to stop the pipeline before it’s too late.
Interviews include Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s Chairman Dave Archambault II; Jodi Gillette, former White House advisor for Native American Affairs; Ladonna Allard, founder of Sacred Stone Camp; Winona LaDuke, founder of Honor the Earth; and Cody Hall, Red Warrior Camp spokesperson. The film was created by Divided Films with support from the WK Kellogg Foundation.
(Divided Films / YouTube)
Noteworthy quotes:
“I told Dakota Access, ‘remember me, remember my face, I will be standing there’…I wasn’t an activist, or any of these things, I’m a Mom.” —LaDonna Allard, founder of Sacred Stone Camp“You have to step back and ask…what is really going on here?” —Dave Archambault II, Standing Rock Tribal Chairman“What we see is that we have militarized the engergy industry with a governor that believes you can treat Indian people poorly.” —Winona LaDuke
For more information about Divided Films, click here.
The W.K. Kellog Foundation (WKKF) was established in 1930 to improve the lives of vulnerable children.
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