Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault II Meets with LA Area Native American Leaders/Native Led Organizations

Photo Credit: Depart Foundation

On December 15, 2016, North Dakota's Standing Rock Sioux Chairman, Dave Archambault II, met with Los Angeles areas Native American Leaders, Elders and Native led nonprofits for a welcome ceremony and private meeting hosted by the Depart Foundation (https://www.facebook.com/depart.foundation/) in West Hollywood. The private meeting commenced with Mati Waiya (Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation Founder and Ceremonial Elder) placing a circle of tobacco with an abalone shell and sage bundles in the center of a circle to ground all participants in ceremony and a prayer given by Tongva Elder, Julia Bogany. All in attendance welcomed the Chairman with traditional and other gifts and words expressing solidarity and gratitude for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's leadership in providing the example of protesting in peace and prayer to protect their traditional land and water from the Dakota Access Pipeline in the face of a militarized police force. http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2016/11/22/502068751/the-standing-rock-resistance-is-unprecedented-it-s-also-centuries-old. A discussion regarding the fact that "Standing Rock is Everywhere" layed the groundwork to speak about  local "standing rock" issues and a comparission of different laws used to help protect Native American cultural resources, water, sacred sites, and treaty rights and the complexity of working with Federal Agencies. Chairman Archambault expressed that he was very grateful for the overwhelming support and would be happy to reciprocate support in local efforts. The two hour meeting ended with a prayer given by Tongva Elder, Gloria Arellanes.

The Chairman went on to prepare for a first time public conversation in Los Angeles on a speakers panel with Robert Kennedy, Jr., Jane Fonda, Bruce Kapson, moderator Jon Christensen and special guest speaker, LaDonna Brave Bull Allard.The panel spoke to the current status of legal and on the ground efforts being made to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline from being completed and the fact that, even with, the December 5th announcement that the Army Corp of Engineers would not permit the Energy Transfer Partners to proceed with the Dakota Access Pipeline, the battle was not over. The Chairman had previously announced, "I know this is a victory for this one DAPL battle, but we have not won the DAPL war. There will be more battles ahead and we will contine to strategize and win. The camp has brought us this far -- now it is time we pivot to the next phase of this struggle. That will be lead on different fronts like in court, with the new Administration, with Congress, and with investors." (standingrock.org and sacredstonecamp.org). 

The Chairman shared how unexpected it was that the "camp" would grow to include literally hundreds of Tribes, and thousands of people; Native and Non-Native Folks, Environmentalist, Celebrity Activists, Veterans, supporters from all over the world, young and old. This movement is a profoundly important example and reminder of, as LaDonna says, "learning to live with the Earth again." Chairman Archambault, shared, that he didn't want people to come here (the camp) to die. We want our young warriors to live. To be good fathers, parents.  Robert Kennedy, Jr. untangled the legal issues and put it into plain terms for all to understand. Jane Fonda strongly encouraged people to  divest from the financial institutions that are backing the DAPL project (defunddapl.org). She's currently organizing to do just that. For her Birthday on December 21st - the Day of the Winter Solstice Jane will remove her money from a LA area Wells Fargo Bank in efforts to encourage others to follow suit. 

To Donate to the NODAPL effort directly to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Go To: http://standwithstandingrock.net/donate/

# defunddapl #StandingRockisEverywhere #DepartFoundation # wishtoyochumashfoundation #waterislife  #Tongva #Tataviam #Chumash #acjachemen #Lanativeamericancommission #sacredplacesinstitute #anauacalmecac #metabolicstudio #vck #ccka #wka #LDF #SGA  

Special Thanks to the generous host  Depart Foundation and the Tongva Elders of Los Angeles for opening and closing these two events with prayer.

Mati Waiya, Chumash Ceremonial Elder and Executive Director of Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation and Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II at the Depart Foundation.

Creating the Ceremonial Circle for the meeting with Chairman Dave Archambault and Local LA Native American Leaders/Elders/Organizations

Chairman Dave Archambault of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe welcomed by LA Area Tribal Leaders and Elders

Local Native Leaders/Elders/Organizations/Supporter Participants

Gabrelino/Tongva Nation: Elders: Gloria Arrellanes and Julia Bogany and Youth Representative River Garza

Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians: President, Rudy Ortega, Jr., Elder Alan Salazar and Public Relations Director Kimia Fatehi

Chumash Nation: Barbareno Chumash Elder Johnny Moreno, Chumash Ceremonial Elder and Executive Director Wishtoyo Chumash Village Mati Waiya, Cultural Resources Director Luhui Isha

Acjachemen Nation: Angela Mooney D'Arcy Executive Director Sacred Places Institute and Eddie Nunez, Producer First Nations Television Network

LA Native Amreican Commission: Chrissie Castro, (Navajo) Vice Chair

Anahuacalmecac International University Preparatory: Marcos Aquilar, Azteca Mexicana,  Head Teacher and Minnie Ferguson, Azteca Mexicana, Director of Education

Supporters: Daniel Cooper of Lawyers for Clean Water and Justin Winters Executive Director Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation

Local Native Leaders/Elders/Native Led Non-Profit Orgs private meeting with Chairman Dave Archambault II

Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians President Rudy Ortega, Jr., Chairman Dave Archambault, and Chrissie Castro, Vice Chair of the LA Native American Commission

Freddie Romero, Cultural Resources Director of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, greeting Chairman Archambault

Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians Elders Council Chairman, Alan Salazar presents Chairman Archambault a traditional gift.

Angela Mooney D'Arcy of the Acjachemen Nation and Sacred Places Institute's Executive Director greeting Chairman Archambault

Eddie Nunez, Acjachemen and producer for First Nations Experience (FNX).

Depart Foundation Panel on Standing Rock: Jon Christensen, Robert Kennedy, Jr., Chairman Dave Archambault, Jane Fonda, and Bruce Capson

Chairman Archambault and Robert Kennedy, Jr.

Mati Waiya, Jane Fonda and Robert Kennedy, Jr.

Robert Kennedy, Jr. Founder of the International Waterkepper Alliance, Justin Winters, Executive Director Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and Mati Waiya, Founder and Executive Director of Wishtoyo Chumash Foudation and Ventura Coastkeeper

Historian and Standing Rock Sioux tribal member, LaDonna Brave Bull Allard

Julia Bogany Tongva Elder, LaDonna Brave Bull Allard Standing Rock Sioux Historian, Gloria Arrellanes Tongva Elder and Luhui Isha, Barbareno Chumash and Cultural Resources Director Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation

Anahuacalmecac Education Director, Minnie Ferguson and Daughter with LaDonna Brave Bull Allard

Cultural Resources Director of Wishtoyo Chumash Village, Luhui Isha and Historian and Standing Rock Sioux tribal member, LaDonna Brave Bull Allard

Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation President and UCLA Vice Chancellor, Carol Goldberg with Luhui Isha and Mati Waiya, Directors of Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation 

Milli Macen-Moore of Metabolic Studio, Chairman Archambault and Monica Reyes

Ceremonial Circle for the meeting with Chairman Dave Archambault

Tongva Elders Julia Bogany and Gloria Arellanes with LaDonna Brave Bull Allard, Jane Fonda, and members from Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation & Anahuacalmec International University

Tongva Elder, Gloria Arellanes closes the Depart Foundation Public Panel discussion with a prayer with Mati Waiya standing next to her.

He'l'o'kal Antikich - Water is Life!!