ABSTRACT
In September of 2017, many of the young people, families, educators, artists, and elders who were part of the Mní Wičhóni Nakíčižiŋ Owáyawa (Defenders of the Water School) gathered back at Standing Rock to honor the one-year anniversary of the school’s founding. Alayna Eagle Shield and her parents, John and Val Eagle Shield, hosted us at their home for a three-day encampment on their lands. The days included art, history, language workshops, Lakota games, basketball games, swimming, story-telling, and ceremony. On the final day, Rae Paris led some of the young people, ages 9–15, in a reflective writing workshop. Here are some memories from four young people who spent many months at the school in Oceti Sakowin Camp across the summer and fall of 2016 and into the winter of 2017.
