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Dispatch from Standing Rock: Queer and Trans Asian Americans' (QTAs) Reflections

In preparation of our trip, we sought to understand how Asian Americans are historically & politically connected to indigenous histories, which is why solidarity is crucial in this current moment. As immigrants, we reflected on how we can become puppets in a centuries-old project of upholding the "American Dream," and when we do not practice active solidarity with our indigenous siblings, we continue to play into a mythology that not only hurts indigenous struggle, but also mires our own people.

The experiences we had at camp signaled to us the need to learn from new organizing structures being modeled by indigenous folks, especially as we move towards greater community reliance for our well-being and safety as we shift into this next administration.

These are our reflections.

Asian America & Indigenous Solidarity: Making Connections & Committing to Struggle

As queer and trans Asian Americans (QTAs) people who engage in solidarity work, an intention we had in going to Standing Rock was to develop a deeper understanding of how the struggle for indigenous sovereignty and freedom in the face of extreme violence is connected to our own immigrant and refugee histories. We entered Oceti Sakowin carrying with us our people's ongoing fight against US global imperialism, as well as an acknowledgement that we, too, are settlers on this land.

As QTAs, we also recognize that we come from a vast diversity of backgrounds and nations - from war-torn countries that are currently resisting imperialism to countries that are still struggling for their own independence; from countries that have been colonized to those that have a history of having colonized other nations. Our people come from the Philippines, where people are organizing against continued U.S. militarization, imperialism, violence and erasure of Indigenous communities there. We come from Hawai'i and the Pacific Islands, where Indigenous people continue to fight for independence from U.S. rule. We claim histories in India, and the continued resistance to the facist and Islamophobic rule of Narendra Modi. Our people come from Sri Lanka, a country facing increasing economic colonization from China and the West. We have legacies in Korea, where the U.S. military has helped fuel an industry that prioritizes American over local candidates for adoption. While complicit at times, our people have always struggled against imperialism, Westernization, and neo-colonialism.

As immigrants, many of us have been pushed out of our own countries -- by the same forces that created the American project -- only to continue the colonization of indigenous communities. We occupy lands stolen through genocide and pillaged by capitalism, call "home" to places which have only been preserved on the blood and bodies of our indigenous and Black siblings. Our presence upholds an "American Dream" whose myth continues to bring settlers to Turtle Island under the guise of freedom. Stories of our success feed this false promise and further justify our siblings' imprisonment on reservations and in inner cities. At the same time, QTAs communities have been subject to great violence both in our home countries and in the United States. Many people in our communities, especially those at the margins, have experienced policing and the rapid normalization of violence against our people under the guise of safety. White supremacy uses our bodies to maintain control of this system.

These instances of violence against our own people is deeply connected to the ongoing legacies of colonization and imperialism the U.S. government has been engaging in for centuries. The violence and trauma that the United States has created continues to wreak havoc on our people and our homelands, and it is deeply connected to the ways in which we experience oppression in this country.

We strongly believe in the importance of moving forward in solidarity with indigenous leadership in this fight. We cannot truly find liberation in the U.S. while our people continue to live under imperialism and colonization abroad. Similarly, we cannot end imperialism abroad while condoning it here, continuing to live complacently on colonized land without being in solidarity with the indigenous struggle here. Our values must transcend borders; truly, until all of us are free, none of us will be free.

Witnessing Ongoing Violence & Genocide

"Honor the treaties!" This was one of many rallying cries heard at Oceti Sakowin camp in the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The pipeline, which crosses through sacred land ceded to native people, would completely disregard the sovereignty of indigenous people, continuing the never-ending project of colonizing "America."

That this pipeline is a perpetuation of violent U.S. legacies of genocide could not have been made more clear than on November 20th on a bridge very close to Oceti Sakowin. Water protectors mobilized near a barricade built by the the Morton County Sheriff's Department. The police shot rubber bullets at Water protectors at point-blank range, sprayed them with water canons in sub-freezing temperatures, and fired tear gas and flash grenades into the crowd indiscriminately.This became a site of violence beyond what many of us had ever experienced within a protest space.

The message from the police was clear: they were not afraid of killing us, and they never have been. This country was founded through the genocide of indigenous peoples. This violence was simply a continuation of a centuries-long American project, and although many of us had never witnessed the same level of state-sanctioned violence, it came as less of a surprise to many of the Indigenous leadership.

Building the World We Want to Live In: Oceti Sakowin as a Model

The violent parallels that exist beyond the U.S. border and across the Pacific and the violence that exists within walking distance of Oceti Sakowin becomes significant in understanding how to actively and collectively resist against a genocidal state, especially as we move into a dangerous administration. We drew upon our individual experiences and began to recognize the ways in which Indigenous leadership transformed camp as a community-based alternative that existed and operated beyond the state.

The Standing Rock Sioux founded Oceti Sakowin on the seven Lakota values: prayer, respect, compassion, honesty, generosity, humility, wisdom. Allies are asked to be mindful of these values, and to incorporate them into daily life while at camp. The Oceti Sakowin camp website lists out bullet points under each value.

Under prayer: "Do not cultivate fear or doubt. It works against our cause."

Under respect: "When an elder arrives in the meeting, offer your seat."

Under honesty: "Withhold from offering ideas or suggestions that you cannot commit to working on."

Under generosity: "If you are with camp on a short term basis, we ask that you give more than you take."

When one enters camp, the first stop is a visit to the legal tent where any Water Protector who is arrested has the option to be bailed out by the Legal Collective with money collected through grassroots fundraising. If one is hungry, communal kitchens will feed thousands of other campers needing nourishment, even under extreme weather conditions. To keep people safe, the medical tent takes care not only folks injured by chemical weapons and rubber bullets, but also those needing mental health and treatment for PTSD. Direct action trainings were convened for anyone inclined to participate in direct actions to maximize community accountability and safety. Many of these services have historically been inaccessible to marginalized people, but by ensuring the needs of the most marginalized first and foremost, camp self-governed such that it could provide these resources to everyone.

As QTAs people, the Two Spirit Nation camp was a home base for many of us - some of us stayed and slept there, others came to gather around the fire every night. The Two Spirit Nation camp was a space where the organizing at Oceti Sakowin, and the fight against the DAPL, was grounded in two spirit, queer, trans and gender non-conforming identities and stories. As a model for how queer and trans people are always at the center of transformative cultural and direct action organizing, this camp also worked to shift the dynamics at camp at large to make the space safer for queer, trans and Two Spirit people. There were also spaces specifically for people of color to convene, including POC-centered planning meetings. Though outnumbered by white folks, spaces and rules were carved out to ensure indigenous and people of color experiences were centered. That said, these intentions by Two Spirit Nation camp felt important as the rest of Oceti Sakowin camp was not a perfect space. Patriarchy, racism, queerphobia, ableism and more were present at camp. We recognize that these carry over from the frameworks of what we know, are used to, and how we bring our baggage. And yet, camp felt like a model of what is possible, at a large system-wide scale as we prepare for an escalation of American dystopia.

Oceti Sakowin provided a model of how communities can offer legal aid, sustenance and health, and holistic well-being at a scale that supported thousands of people. All of these resources existed due to a continuous centering of those who experience unique marginalization outside of camp space. It was no longer a choice: it was a necessity to reimagine and develop an infrastructure beyond our flawed system in order to successfully defend, protect, and sustain systems of protection for anyone who came into contact with camp. It is no secret the challenges all of our communities will face as we head into the next administration. But if there was anything we took away from our experiences being at Oceti Sakowin, it's that localized, community-driven work, however imperfect they may be, is one of our strongest weapons against state-sanctioned violence.

Moving Forward & Ways to Support

Indigenous communities organized a resistance movement of over 450,000 people and The Army Corps of Engineers denying the easement needed for DAPL. Yet the #WaterisLife fight continues.

In the months since press coverage has waned, the peaceful, prayerful protest of Water Protectors at Oceti Sakowin has continued to be met with tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber coated steel bullets at point blank range. Further, threats of state bills further diminishing the accountability of police and even a military grade missile launcher stationed at camp are evidence of an increasingly militarized and emboldened police. This week, Trump's Executive Memorandum to expedite the easement directly violates treaty rights and represents just the latest way in which the state has chosen to protect white, elite wealth over indigenous lives, and those of 17 million other Americans.

In the face of racist captains of industry, we must stand-up and resist. If you have been moved by anything in this piece, please consider taking the following actions:

1. Sign the re-opened Standing Rock Youth petition and share on social media.

2. Show your support for the Environmental Impact Statement:

3. Donate

to the Water Protectors at Oceti Sakowin camp