It is with much devotion that I announce today that I will be traveling to the Standing Rock, North Dakota #NoDAPL camp for for Thanksgiving. This will be my second trip. The first trip announcement can be found here. I will accompanied by fellow media artist and my former student Feather Metsch, my colleague Matt Maes, and two people from Santa Fe I not met yet, Ash and Lariel. We are all traveling to the Oceti Sakowin Camp to show solidarity with the water protectors as we look forward to a future of worldwide solidarity and protection of Indigenous People and protection of our resources.
As some of you may know, November 28 is my birthday. This year for my birthday, I ask everyone to give to Standing Rock via my GoFundMe and review and follow through the other support outlined below. Last year, many of you gave cash to people experiencing homelessness in your towns and cities for my birthday. This year, the water protectors are in desperate need of many supplies to get through the winter and to survive police brutality.
I have several goals while I am at Standing Rock. I am honored to have the opportunity get to to know Indigenous People from around the world. I will show my solidarity with the indigenous people of this nation and all nations as well as to show my support for the conservation the earth. I’ll be shooting full sphere 360° video, flat video and images, as well as posting to my social media. You can follow me on twitter, facebook, or instagram to follow my journey. Feather and I hope to do some projection mapping art and show movies to help keep spirits lifted.
As a Transgender person who has been an activist since I was able to leave the house on my own, it is my belief that this cause to stop the black snake, is of utmost importance. This #NoDAPL movement will set the tone for many many years to come in terms of human rights, government control and use of force, and protection of natural resources.
I traveled the Missouri River via canoe in the 90s studying land use and water ecology along with Marxism. I have been to North Dakota more times than I can count as my extended family is all living there. During my last trip to Standing Rock, I bared witness to a private meeting between the Mayans of Guatemala and the Sioux Counsel. I know the importance of what the water protectors at Standing Rock are doing. This land and this movement for Indigenous people is important to ALL HUMANS and all creatures on this planet.
Many of you have seen stories from Sunday, November 20th’s unbridled assault from military police on unarmed protesters. I watched live as one person streamed the entire event from the hill. The police were brutally using rubber bullets, concussion grenades, mace, tear gas, and a water canon in freezing weather with what could have been no other intention that to cause physical harm to people, which they did. Several people were injured including one elder who suffered a cardiac arrest, one woman who may have to have her arm amputated because the flesh was torn off from a grenade, and a thirteen year old girl who was shot in the face.
There is no more time to wait. Everyone must support this cause now otherwise we are all giving our consent to this type of treatment to citizens of America. The darkness of white supremacy, police violence, and fear is upon us. We must do everything we can to fight with love and support each other to get through this to the other side. I see a much brighter future for all of us. Please join me in support #DAPL. If not for yourself, then do it for my birthday. 😉
To help support this cause, here is a list of things you can do.
Call North Dakota governor Jack Dalrymple at 701-328-2200.
Donate items from the Sacred Stone Camp Supply List: http://sacredstonecamp.org/supply-list/
Go to Standing Rock
Contribute to my GoFundMe
Ethan Bach is an artist living and working in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Denver, Colorado. He is the CEO of Alt Ethos Ltd, Founder of Denver Arts + Technology Advancement, a Consultant at BETA arts LLC, and artist. Ethan Bach has won awards from the Santa Fe Arts Commission, New Mexico Film Visions, and New Mexico Art in Public Spaces. He has sat on numerous art and film juries and is the producer of MORPHOS digital dome artist in residence. Dedicated to community development, Bach is currently in the process of designing an emerging art and technology community center in Denver. Bach is also a certified Kundalini Yoga Instructor.