A collection of posts from Daphne as she embarked on her second supply run to Standing Rock in North Dakota to establish and support the Zaniyan Wellness and Healing Camp.
Oct 24th 2016 – This was a scary day in camp today even here on the Rosebud/Sicangu side. After all the arrests yesterday, there was a call for everyone to move to the front line camp, roads were blocked and if you went into town you may not be able to get back. Medic/Healer teams busy with injuries and psychological trauma from yesterday. I have not been doing medical or first aid on this side of the river just herbs and learning with traditional healers here, but been working since I got here to set a medic station up that would be warm and follow safe practices. Been coordinating with the other medic/Healers, but it is been slow. Everyone here is working so hard under really difficult conditions. Volunteers often stay such a short time its challenging. We were in the process of moving to the new space when the call came in that I should get the big canopy (which was being used for storage and has no heat) ready for a number of injuries if the military raided. We were also told to be ready to evacuate to Sacred Stone Camp as it is private land. Fortunately two ER nurses showed up and quickly helped get the station ready. Dr Erica Rotondo returned and we were ready but not needed which is better than being needed and not ready.There is a lot of uncertainty here about moving of camps. The beautiful things about tipis is they are easily movable. But I am safe, and don’t believe that the military will invade camps with elders and children. We come to them to arrested. In addition two NDs from Seattle showed up. So there finally looks like there will be enough help that I can go home and tend to my neglected real life. It is hard to leave. I feel very appreciated here. Ii took awhile to be accepted by the locals but they help me every day. People are fasting and praying here. The water protectors are what warriors look like. #waterislife #nodapl
Oct 22nd 2016 – 83 peaceful water protectors arrested today. 10 injured, many more maced, journalists and medics targeted and arrested. Don’t let this be your America.#waterislife #nodapl
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2016/10/standing-rock-water-protectors-running.html?m=1
Oct 22nd 2016 – This is Linda Black Elk and family in front of the tipi donated by Bug Gi from Eugene. Thank you so much. Tipis are one of the few structures here that can withstand the winds and snow here. #waterislife #nodapl
From Bug Gi – To know that my tipi now belongs to Linda Black Elk and family just made my heart explode and eyes fill with tears. Thank you Water and earth protectors and thank you Daphne Singingtree for doing all that you do. So much love and gratitude!!!!!!
Oct 20th 2016 – Great video from some journalist students, my friend and colleague working on the medical Healer team Joel Preston Smith says great stuff about tipis. My quote. It’s cold. Seems like I say that a lot. #waterislife #nodapl
Bitter consequences: Pipeline protests batten down the hatches for North Dakota winter from Medill Reports on Vimeo.
Oct 19th 2016 – My neighbor at Sicangu/Rosebud camp Wind Cloud is building an earth sheltered house out of driftwood from the river and dirt. I see him digging everyday in all kinds of weather. No money for materials just what can be found. One of the many aspects of the slower pace of this side of the river. A bunch of folks from Ashville, North Carolina just showed up, bringing yurts and good chocolate. We are moving the Zaniyan Wellness Space a bit up the path as the big canopy left by the midwives won’t winter. We are putting in a first aid station next to the herb and healing space. Got solar power, a structure, the wood stoves. Just working on getting a wood floor (pallets and plywood) in the car canopy, tarps, blankets, insulation with what we can find. Making a tent a suitable space to treat hypothermia seems counter intuitive, but we work with what we have. We keep hearing about donated artic tents, a permanent clinic is the works. In the meantime Sicangu/Rosebud makes do. Unlike the other camps, Rosebud has no funds, just what people bring. I am moving the big tipi over, getting people and systems in place to continue when I am gone. So many people from so many tribes, it is exciting and historic and I love the work. But darn, I miss my warm house, garden, family, and now appreciate the ease of my life. Most people come and go here, but the dedication is inspiring. We need building materials, stovepipe and materials to put wood stoves in tents and tipis. We need fire extinguishers. And we need all of you. If you can handle the harsh conditions, come, camp, if not keep supporting. #waterislife #nodapl
Oct 19th 2016 – These midwives are awesome and they have been so much help to the camp already. http://m.democracynow.org/stories/16718
Oct 19th 2016 – Thank you Erika Kightlinger, these stoves and the work you and EarthWin is doing is so critical.
Oct 18th 2016 From Kate Harnedy –
One of the highlights of my trip to Standing Rock was spending time in the Zaniyan Wellness Space. Daphne Singingtree is providing teas, herbs, and wellness advice for the community. Her “Immuni-Tea” is not only warm and soothing, but quite helpful in keeping the water protectors immunities strong as the seasons change. She’s also providing a wonderful educational opportunity for some aspiring young herbalists! With so much work to be done, spaces for people to come relax and heal are so essential and sustaining the cause! Thank you Daphne for the good work you are doing! 
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Oct 16th 2016 – From Sarah Huenecke A Standing Rock call for all those that are able!!! You are needed!!!
Heading back soon, if feeling the call to go, we are forming a caravan/carpool out of Minneapolis to join in solidarity! Comment or private message if interested 
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Here are some photos from being there last weekend. No way to capture the embodiment of the experience, but here are some goodies nonetheless.
With love, truth, and open hearts, we can change the world forever.
Oct 15th 2016 – Generosity. That is what strikes me most about my experiences here at the Zaniyan Wellness Space at Sicangu/Rosebud camp. A group of school children in Rhode Island made up little paper bags with art on them, most we gave out before I got a photo. Inside of each bag was a Water Protector Wellness kit, with a lip balm, calming teas and herbal salve. The guy holding the bag, Christopher, came in for tea, got a bag, and asked what we needed. I said plastic organizer bins and a stove pipe elbow. He drove into Bismarck (over an hour away) bought them and brought them back tonight. Angels, helpers, supporters, more then I can name. I have a small herbal product business. I know how little money is made and how much time goes into each product. So many wonderful herbal medicines are sent every day. A Facebook group of midwives sent a whole canopy full of needed supplies. The list goes on. Beauty, commitment, courage, resilience, is here. But generosity from the world sustains us not just in body but spirit. #waterislife#nodapl
Oct 14th 2016 – Interviewed for Humans of NoDapl –
“One of the things that I am really sensitive about because I am one of the ones that they call the orphans… my heritage is Lakota but I was raised in the white culture, and I have to be really conscious about the place I come from in white privilege. I wasn’t raised on the reservation. I have never been beaten by a man. I have never seen my children struggle with alcoholism or drug addiction. I have never had my best friend kill themselves. I have never seen such poverty that I didn’t see a way out. I always have access to healthy food. So, I come from a very different world view than some of my brothers and sisters that were raised on reservations and in poverty. The majority of Natives now, actually a good portion of them, are urban. So they may not have that same worldview, but there is a certain genetic, historical trauma that gets passed on from generation to generation.
This is the first time we have come together as a people… So when we come to a place here and we are offering advice on well being, people are really sensitive about… coming in and saying ‘you should do this, you should stop eating sugar, you should stop doing this’…
It is so important to have supporters from all nations and walks of life. As Indigenous people we are coming together for the first time united to protect the earth and water. ”
https://humansofnodapl.wordpress.com/2016/10/14/daphne-singing-tree/
Oct 13th 2016 – This Elder woman was zip tied instead of handcuffed and her sacred pipe was deliberately broken. This is abuse of power. We are still here. #nodapl#waterislife
Oct 12th 2016 – This is the first time I have been able to get Internet since I got here 9 days ago, been too busy setting up to leave camp. The last post was for yesterday’s action. It is very cold here. I don’t think anyone who is not here knows how hard it is to get out of a warm bed into a cold tent or tipi and go Stand for the Water. I am so proudof everyone in my camp who went. I don’t go to actions, it is too hard for me to walk. So everyone can stop worrying about me. I am not getting arrested. Just cold. Working on getting all the tipis up, stoves in, canopies winterized. Lots of respiratory illness. I caught a cold too, but on the mend. Going through lots of Essential Defender my brand of Thieves Oil. Recipe to make and where to send at Eagletreeherbs.com.We are Zaniyan Wellness at Sicangu or Rosebud camp. It is quieter here, less people, but less help too, so still setting up, as I am helping with general medical as well herbal. If you are in camp come see us. If you are sending stuff we need reusable water bottles, travel mugs, tea balls and strainers, rugs, ropes and tarps. I am overwhelmed by the support from all the people sending such needed resources. Every day I am meeting Indigenous people from all over and learning so much. #nodapl#waterislife
Oct 11th 2016 – This morning while still dark the call to action came for all water protectors and land Defenders to come to the front lines. I stayed in camp, while the rest of our crew got up in the cold to risk arrest and possibly their lives. Leah Tamara took these photos. Local authorities blocked roads unnecessarily, closed schools early. Local papers called it a riot. Peaceful protests, some handcuffed themselves to a set of tipi poles. Cops in riot gear, people praying. We will not give up. More people coming every day. #waterislife#nodapl
Oct 7th 2016 – We are almost all set up now at the Zaniyan Wellness Space at Sicangu/Rosebud camp. It has taken a while due to extreme winds, and it is very cold. Leah Tamara had one of the canopies set up with the tea station when I got here. We had to integrate the communication center, and stabilize and warm it. The front line midwife group had set up a canopy and left a lot of supplies. Dr. Erica Rotondo, spent the last few days organizing the supplies, with help from Lianna Constatino from the Cherokee Healing and Wellness Center. Along with Sarah Charlesworth, my Eugene friend I borrowed from the kitchen, we now have the first aid station set up, treatment areas for privacy, and are still working on setting up the solar power for electric and getting heat and stability to the canopies. Some wonderful helpers have appeared, Erika Tilley will be working as an herbalist, Gabrielle, Kevin and Mary from Deadwood are helping with the camp along with Dillon Lovelove and Joseph Xan. The water protectors are dealing with the elements and politics. All I have time for herbs and getting the camp ready for winter. No Internet this side of the river, quieter, traditional. Thank you donors & supporters for everything. Lots of negative stories going around but from the ground here is all I am seeing is committed people working hard to protect the Water. #NODAPL#WATERISLIFE
Oct 2nd 2016 – On the road, stopped at Nomadics to pick up 3 more tipis. On this run is Dillon Lovelove, Joseph Xan, Rising Manulani, and myself. Driving straight through, hoping to be there late tomorrow. I feel like I am going home. But colder. #waterislife #nodapl
Oct 1st 2016 – Getting mostly packed to leave in the morning, so many people to thank, so little time. Some highlights (sorry for those missed), Fred Cogan withInStove.org with the wood fired rocket stove that can sterilize instruments, WellFuture with donated childrens vitamins and probiotics, Cafe Mam with 50 lbs of organic coffee for the main kitchen, D Prince Dmitri Bloomingheart for loads of stuff for both trips, this time returnable mugs and water bottles, Joanne Holland for the Buffalo hide, Brad Mowreader with a wood stove and wool blankets.Laurel Caccivio and Katrina Mangiafico with a wood stove and wool blankets, Clare Strawn with a canopy, tools, axes, and lots of other stuff. Nomadics Tipis with a tipi and so much help. The 78 people who donated cash for my gofundme account which made this all possible and is buying things that fall through the cracks. All the people who mailed stuff. Here is what I have learned lately. People are good. Really good. Yep, still evil in the world, like the corporate mother rapers, but I am filled with hope, with this much love, we can’t lose. Love & Service always wins over hate and greed. While my focus is care for people in the camps, we need to keep attention on the cause, protecting the water in Standing Rock is just the beginning. Stay on top of the politics people, I will keep on the herbs. #waterislife #nodapl
Oct 1st 2016 – Ok, Linda Black Elk has moved from my hero to Super hero, she is doing so much for the Healers Camp and medics, helping me daily, driving donated herbal products out, and has time to read the politics and writes coherently. And is a wife, mother of a very small child, and teacher. I am honored to know her. #waterislife #nodapl
1) The guy who writes the “say anything” blog will literally say anything. He is awell-known local idiot. He’s like a love child between Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, only he is one of the biggest earth-destroying fossil fuel lovers that I have ever witnessed. In my opinion, he’d have sex with a gas pump if he could and he is constantly pulling for big oil … it seems as though they must pay his salary. Further, his writing sucks…but that might be because he is attempting to reach an audience with a third grade or lower reading level. Please do not take him seriously. The “PRO DAPL” site is just that…pro-pipeline propaganda. Again, as you can see, it is written for a third grade reading level and does not contain any real information, data, facts, names, or interviews…not even a quote with attribution. It is complete fairy tale.
2) No matter what Morton County, the State of North Dakota, blog writers, pipeline propagandists and oil companies come up with – they can never actually provide a SINGLE BIT OF PROOF to back up their constant claims of violence, weapons, and lawlessness on the part of our peaceful water protectors. Did you notice that none of the photos from the “weapons” article were actually taken IN CAMP…except for one…and if you look closely, that gentleman (a former marine) is holding A FREAKING STICK! A STICK!! Do we have gun owners in camp. Yeah! We are hunters, after all! However, no protectors are allowed to have their firearms in camp and they certainly would never take weapons to one of the direct actions. These writers are grasping SO DESPERATELY for anything negative, that they are pointing out (again, in the “weapons” blog post) a motorcycle or welding helmet in the back of a pickup truck as … and I am completely serious here … as proof of potential violence on the part of water protectors.
3) The blogs posts and the PRO-DAPL site both consist of lies, manipulation, and obvious propaganda. We ask you to use your critical thinking skills…think for yourself…or better yet, COME SEE US. Come visit and see for yourself. Here’s the real proof:
The blog author, the cops, the oil companies and many other entities have sent UNDERCOVER AGENTS to the Sacred Stone Camps, and still not a single shred of actual proof of violence, weapons, or unlawful activity exists. If we are threatening local people or destroying property, where are the police reports? Where is the proof that we are doing these things or perpetuating any type of violence? Why hasn’t anyone been arrested or even named for these incidents? We have thus far had many people – almost 100 – arrested for PEACEFULLY PROTECTING water, sacred sites, treaty rights, and traditional lands. Some of these folks were arrested on PUBLIC PROPERTY. We are not the violent ones. The photos speak for themselves…we show up in prayer, and they show up with dogs, pepper spray, armored military style trucks, semi-automatic weapons (locked and loaded), and even crop dusting planes that release unknown chemicals over the heads of peaceful men, women and children.
DON’T BELIEVE THE LIES. STAND WITH STANDING ROCK!
#NoDAPL #StandWithStandingRock #ResistGenocide
https://www.sayanythingblog.com/…/another-21-peaceful-noda…/
https://www.sayanythingblog.com/…/social-media-photos-colle…
http://www.prodapl.com/breaking-news-pipeline-protest-mili…/
Oct 1st 2016 – The big truck is arriving at Standing Rock anytime today, driven by Erika Kightlinger on it is five tipis, three sets of poles, 4 solar panels, four wood stoves, and a thirty foot Pacific Dome, loads of other needed gear, herbal medicine, travel paid for by EarthWin, and many other donors and organizations. I will be packing another uhaul tomorrow with a stove donated by InStoves.org that is a sustainable wood stove with an autoclave for sterilizing medical instruments, more wood stoves, another tipi donated byBug Gi and leaving Sunday morning stopping at Nomadic tipis for another 5 tipis. A donated buffalo hide for the medicine lodge. Lots of reusable coffee mugs, stoves, wool blankets, Will post more pictures tomorrow or Sunday. 12 total tipis!! Some donated, some just being delivered, but it is amazing. Thank you everyone for your support, it is humbling to see how everyone has pulled together to support the water.#waterislife, #nodapl
Sept 30th 2016 – a GIFT to DAPHNE Singing Tree at Standing Rock.
On Sept 20th, we posted that Daphne was gifted a tipi as a Healing Community Lodge for Standing Rock. It was purchased by Brian R Davis with our 15% donation discount and we added some painting for free.. Brian’s signature is a Eagle Feather, which we painted on the lodge as well. The Tipi is currently on Erica’s truck on its way to Standing Rock:
Sept 30th 2016 – My friend Joanne Holland an MD and herbalist whom I have learned much from, today passed to me an incredible gift for the Medicine Lodge. A buffalo hide she received from a doctor, so it has always been in the care of healers. I can’t say how much I am honored and blessed to create space for this to be brought for healing for the Water Protectors. #waterislife #nodapl
[…] week, the cause became personal as Daphne Singingtree contacted us. She is the founder of zaniyan, a nonprofit in Eugene, Oregon (where I spent time growing up visiting my dad). She told us the […]