Welcoming Back the Tucson Water Protectors

Tucson Water Protectors speak about their experiences at Standing Rock.

I have been following the Standing Rock Sioux and the other Water Protectors in their peaceful, non-violent stand against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Energy Transfer Partners, an oil giant with a horrific record of environmental devastation (pipeline leaks and explosions, abandoned oil spills) plans to build a pipeline under the Missouri River that supplies water to 17 million Americans. Water Protectors chant, "Mni Wiconi,  Water is Life” as they use their bodies to block construction of the illegal pipeline. (Thanks to their efforts, the permit was denied.)  Police in riot gear have responded by brutally attacking them with rubber bullets, mace, and water cannons in freezing temperatures. One young woman was blinded by being shot in the face at point blank range. Another woman had half of her arm blown off by a concussion grenade. The Water Protectors have been unjustly arrested, strip searched and held in kennels. Elders have been handcuffed and arrested during prayer ceremonies. This is unacceptable! These courageous Water Protectors are fighting for our water!

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Cannonball Camp. First frost, early November by Eli de Vries 

Unable to pack up and head to their camp in N. Dakota, I’ve done what little I can as a desk top activist: writing blogs, signing and sharing petitions, and reposting drone videos that show what is really going on at Standing Rock. (After 6 months, national news stations finally started covering this historic event when two thousand vets arrived to defend the Water Protectors from police brutality. The local news in N. Dakota is basically a mouthpiece for the DAPL owned police, so the people from nearby Bismarck don’t even know what’s really going on.) I called several sheriff’s offices that deployed officers to further incite the violence. I left messages at the White House, the Army Corp of Engineers, and the Justice Department. All the while, the brave water protectors were sacrificing their livelihoods and putting their bodies in the line of danger - fighting our fight. It just didn’t feel like I was doing enough.

So when I heard about the No DAPL Night at Exo, Dan and I decided to attend to show our solidarity with the returning Water Protectors and to donate money that we knew would reach the people still at camp. 

At this Native American gathering, they opened with a traditional blessing of the Tohono O’odham. They asked the crowd not to record this sacred blessing. Tohono O’odham drummers then performed two prayers: a traditional song and one written in support of Standing Rock. There was a danza in traditional garments. A dancer graciously thanked us for joining them. I felt honored to be included. 

Having had contact with other Native Americans, I was aware of how leery they are of sharing their culture and sacred prayers with outsiders – since they have been exploited in the past. But here they were sharing it freely. I believe this is one of the lessons they took with them from Standing Rock. Indigenous people are drawing strength from their culture and beliefs to embrace their role as protectors of Mother Earth. They are leading the way and welcoming other good-hearted people to join them.

It is beautiful to see them reclaiming their language and heritage. I have noticed at several community events, the Native American speakers greet their people in their native language first before addressing the crowd. To understand the significance of this gesture, it’s important to know that Native American children were taken from their homes against their will and sent to boarding schools to assimilate into white man’s culture. They were beaten for speaking their language or for practicing their religion. Through prayer and love, these courageous people are learning to forgive and to work with others for a greater good - protecting Mother Earth.

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Cannonball Camp signs by Eli de Vries

We were blessed with news from the returning Tucson Water Protectors from the Oceti Sakowin camp. They were there to share what they learned about prayerful, peaceful resistance and to continue their loving quest to protect water, sacred places and all human lives now that they are back home. 

Meanwhile, the fight at Standing Rock continues...

Winter at Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Cannonball Camp by Eli de Vries

Some ways to help... Pull your money out of the banks that are invested in DAPL. Donate to the Legal Defense Fund.  Help the Water Protectors that are still in N. Dakota get through the hard winter. Share updates about the Water Protectors on social media. And sign petitions. 

Showing Support of Water Protectors by Protecting Water

water receding in Lake Powell

I can’t express how grateful I am to the Water Protectors at Standing Rock for risking their lives and livelihoods to fight for our water. Members of hundreds of Native American tribes and environmental activists are putting their lives on the front lines to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline from illegally being built under the Missouri River (that supplies water to 17 million Americans). Many of these tribes, including our neighbors the San Carlos Apache, Navajo, Hopi, and the Tohono O'odham are currently fighting to protect their own land and water from big business.

This fight has become even more urgent and dangerous since the pipeline construction has reached the river. These brave Water Protectors are risking being maced, shot with rubber bullets, being beaten and arrested by militant police in riot gear. Some have even been arrested while praying. They have been strip searched and kept in kennels for trespassing. This is especially traumatic for indigenous peoples because it brings back generations of suppression and abuse by the government and the police. 

Water Protectors canoe down the Missouri River

I am so proud of my friend Elizabeth for going to Standing Rock to help the Water Protectors. She invited me to share her tent. I was really torn about whether to go.  The UNESCO Food and Water forum was that week.  After searching my soul, I decided that my fight is here in Tucson – learning about rainwater harvesting and sharing what I learn. In these scary times, we all need to figure out where our talents are best served. We may not all be able to pick up and go to Standing Rock; but one of the many ways to demonstrate our support to the courageous water protectors is by protecting the water where we live.

CAP water being transported 360 miles uphill to Tucson

It may be hard to believe - since you can easily turn on the tap or the hose - but there is a limited supply of water here in Tucson. We are currently in the midst of a 21 year drought. Nearly all of Tucson’s water is supplied by the Central Arizona Project (CAP) – Colorado River water pumped 326 miles uphill to get to us.  And there is not an endless supply of CAP water. As drought affects more states, there will be more competition for that water. By compact, California has first dibs on that water. Tucson Water is well aware of the shortage. That is why they have incentivized rainwater harvesting with a rebate program.

There is enough yearly rainfall to supply all of Tucson’s water needs if we “plant the rain.” But our current infrastructure is built on an archaic model of flood control that directs our water out of our yards (when it should be sunk into the ground) and into the streets to evaporate. Fortunately, there is something we can do about it: Homeowners and businesses can incorporate rainwater harvesting systems on our lots and yards to restore our aquifers. We can landscape with low-water-use desert plants. And we can all become more conscious of our daily water use and learn to conserve it.

sprinkler watering patch of grass and pavement in the heat of the day

Outdoor use makes up the largest percentage of our residential water use (27%). Once we become aware, we can see all kinds of ways to conserve water. Did you ever notice the little patches of grass along our city streets? Probably not. But each of those is irrigated with sprinklers. Those sprinklers are on timers that often water in the heat of the day (when it just evaporates) or when it is raining.  Our neighborhood park is on a timer – so the grass is watered even when it is dormant. Isn’t this a problem we can fix?  Do we really need all those little patches of roadside grass? All of us can get in the habit of watering our plants in the early morning or evening to keep the water from evaporating. And how often have you seen water flowing down the street from over-watering?  We can educate ourselves about the trees and shrubs we have. Some require infrequent deep watering a few times a year!

native mesquite tree flourishes with runoff water from the street

We can embrace that we live in the desert with its own unique beauty. (I was going to suggest that we embrace our desert plants but that would be painful!) We can landscape our yards with cool desert plants that don’t require much water. There are native plants for nearly every landscaping need (from shade to privacy.) You can learn more about incorporating desert plants into your landscaping at Watershed Management Group and Desert Harvester workshops.

Protecting our water is one of the most important responsibilities of our time. What a great way to show solidarity with our courageous Water Protectors! 

3 Sisters: Sowing Strength in Solidarity

This summer Dan and I conducted a little experiment. We wanted to find out if hardy desert crops could survive the long, hot Tucson summer on just monsoon rains. Dan tried the traditional Iroquois method of building mounds for the 3 SISTERS: Tohono O'odham 60 day corn, brown tepary beans, and Ha:al squash. These complimentary crops become stronger by working together. The beans provide nitrogen to the soil. The corn provides stalks for the beans to climb and shade for the squash. And the squash, in turn, provides ground cover to keep out weeds. (Of course, the Hohokam had a system of channels that drew from the Santa Cruz River that flowed year around back then and the Tohono O'odham did flood plain irrigation.) 

After a couple of light showers, we watched as the seeds began to sprout. (Though some mysterious varmint was eating the leaves off of the tops of the beans and only a couple of squash leaves unfurled.) A volunteer squash in our compost pit was doing better. Unfortunately, there wasn't much of a monsoon this summer, so we watched disheartened as our garden withered away. On one of the mounds, a single bean plant survived, and there were two wilted corn stalks still clinging to life on another. So I dug three holes next to the bean plant, put some compost at the bottom, and replanted the corn and the volunteer squash. Storm clouds came and went as we waited... and waited... and waited for rain.

As I watched the effect of the drought on our garden, I became more conscious of how much water we use in our home. We started saving dishwater for our thirsty Mexican Honeysuckle. We bought what we thought was environmentally friendly dish soap. But it turned out to contain more salt than we would have liked, so we have to alternate between the soapy dishwater and the clear rinse water to help flush the salt build-up out of the soil.

The downspout we installed was useless without rain. So we began to use the water from rinsing off our produce to water a little kitchen garden where I had planted some potatoes that sprouted. We also watered the remaining 3 Sisters mound. (You don't want to use water with meat particles in food gardens because it could transmit pathogens.) The bean plant is still hanging in there, and the potato plants are growing nicely all from water that would have gone down the drain. I know, I know, it would be so easy to just turn on the hose. But this is just a drop in the dish bucket compared to how many Hopi and Navajo have to conserve water.

While we are "experimenting" with saving water, members of 280 Native American tribes have gathered together at Standing Rock, South Dakota to fight for water! They have put their bodies on the front line to stop the construction of the crude oil pipeline that will go under the Missouri River - the main source of water for the tribe and 17 million other Americans. A federal judge recently rejected the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's petition to stop construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. But later that day, the US Army, Justice, and Interior departments jointly announced they would temporarily stop the pipeline work until the environmental impact is investigated. The pipeline continues to be built in other areas.

Dan and I celebrated that victory with a symbolic dinner of the 3 Sisters. To me it represented the strength these courageous protectors have shown by working in unity.

Corn, beans, zucchini. tomato, and onions topped with queso fresco on a masa patty.

The tribes understand that this is just the beginning. Many have set up camp for the Winter. The Sioux have been joined by other tribes who have also been exploited for their land and water, including: the Navajo, the Hopi, the San Carlos Apache, and our local Tohono O'odham. It is inspiring to see these tribes uniting for a shared cause and working together to meet the needs of the camp - educating the children, keeping up morale, providing firewood, medical care, spiritual support, and traditional meals.

Water is Life!

We may not be on the front lines fighting for water, but we can march in solidarity here in Tucson, sign the petition to stop the pipeline, contact our representatives, and try to conserve water. (Here are some other ways we can help.) Like the 3 Sisters, we are stronger when we work together.

Sign the petition to stop police in riot gear from arresting the brave journalists covering this historic fight.

Contact the banks funding the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Donate to the Legal Defense Fund.