Winona LaDuke - The Winona LaDuke Chronicles: Stories from the Front Lines in the Battle for Environmental Justice

THE WINONA LADUKE
C h r o n i c l e s

THE WINONA LADUKE
C h r o n i c l e s

STORIES FROM THE FRONT LINES IN THE BATTLE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

by Winona LaDuke

Edited by Sean Aaron Cruz

Fernwood Publishing
Halifax & Winnipeg

Edited by Sean Aaron Cruz.

Cover Photo by Sean Aaron Cruz:

Heavy Haul equipment meets its fate on its way to the Tar Sands, Niimiipu Territory

Years of work, covering untold thousands of miles of travel in all sorts of weather, all led up to this moment, Winona standing up in front of the Beast, deep in Nez Perce country, an hour or so after meeting with the tribal council, and then she reached out her hands. Two guards were watching us, but they didnt tell her not to touch the truck. Sean Aaron Cruz

I would like to acknowledge the Kindle Project ( kindleproject.org ) for supporting my writing time for this book. I am grateful. Winona

Book layout and design by Kevin Brown, Smart Set, Inc. [ smartset.com ]

Photos 2015 Keri Pickett, Sarah Little Red Feather and John Ratzloff

eBook: tikaebooks.com

Copyright 2016 by Winona LaDuke

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, or broadcast.

Published by SPOTTED HORSE PRESS

31446 East Round Lake Road, Ponsford, MN 56575

www.winonaladuke.com

and FERNWOOD PUBLISHING

32 Oceanvista Lane, Black Point, Nova Scotia, B0J 1B0

and 748 Broadway Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3G 0X3

www.fernwoodpublishing.ca

Fernwood Publishing Company Limited gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Province of Nova Scotia and the Province of Manitoba for our publishing program.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

LaDuke, Winona, author

The Winona LaDuke chronicles : stories from the front lines in the battle for environmental justice / Winona Laduke.

Co-published by Spotted Horse Press.

Issued in print and electronic formats.

ISBN 978-1-55266-959-4 (softcover).--ISBN 978-1-55266-960-0 (EPUB).--ISBN 978-1-55266-961-7 (Kindle)

1. LaDuke, Winona--Literary collections. 2. LaDuke, Winona--Political activity. 3. Environmental justice--United States. 4. Ojibwa women--Politics and government. 5. Indigenous peoples--Ecology--United States. 6. Indians of North America--Land tenure. 7. Indians of North America--Government relations. I. Title.

E99C6.L236 2017 973.04970092 C2016-908069-2

C2016-908070-6

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I have now more winters behind me than before me. It has been a grand journey. I am grateful for the many miles, rivers, places and people of beauty. Through it all, I have a family which has been with me on many travels and has relinquished me to the larger world at other times. I dedicate this writing to them: my children Waseyabin, Ashley, Jonny, Ajuawak, Will and Gwekaanimad and to my mother Betty LaDuke, who remains a constant inspiration to me. To you, I offer these words and explanation.

Introduction

AFTER THE BURN

What we know is that, after the fields, the forest floor, and the prairies are burned, new growth comes. There is new life. That is what happens after the burn. That is this book.

In November of 2008, my home burned. This happens. This happened to our family, and our family consisted of myself and eight dependents under 20 years of age. My community, and many people who I did not know and had never seen came to support us. People sent clothing, blankets, books, money, prayers and love. Solar Energy International gave our family a solar photovoltaic system. Many, many people helped us. Women sent me jewelry and old beadwork. People told me that they loved me and respected my family and myself. Someone even sent me a navy blue bra from Victorias Secret which fit nicely. That was funny. Thats what I will say. And I am tremendously grateful. We are all grateful, this family of mine.

It is seven years later. In the interim, many days, I could not write. Many nights I could not sleep. Many days I could not remember what day it was, and amidst it all, I had many losses. I lost those who I loved the most: my father, the father of my children, and my sister. I continued to spin in despair and, frankly, had a hard time breathing and getting a grip. I became a casualty of the PTSD of the modern Indian Wars. And in my spin, I lost my love, my heart, and some of my closest friends. Sort of the rock-bottom thing.

Yet, amidst all of this, it seems that one must go on. I found solace in writing, when it came back, and found myself more in love with the words, and with the story. In a way I began a new life as a modern day bard someone who is able to travel across the land and share stories from other lands.

And, then I began to rebuild. I built a home for my family; a home almost completely of salvage and from Craigs List, and I became a bit of a Craigs List junkie. Its worked out pretty well. And one day it will be done, and perfect. Maybe. But through it all, the stories carried me. They became my escape from my depression, from my fears, and they became the way to help others, maybe.

I also began to write for Forum Communications, which is a very large regional news service in our territory, and this opened a new genre, the short story, written for those who, well, let us say, have never had these discussions. This is some of this writing. Other stories are the long formmy favorite form of journalismand one which is lacking in most media today, but is the only way to tell a story often, moving backwards and forwards between history and present, characters dead, and those yet to come. It is a love of the word. That is this gift to the reader, I hope.

So, having said all of this, I hope you understand and accept my apologies if I cannot remember something, or you. For those who choose to read this writingis that in the traumatic stress which I have suffered during these past years, I could not remember what I wrote, and sometimes I could not remember what I did , and I sometimes do not remember people. This is not uncommon. So it is that, I decided to look at myself, look at my writing and look through my computers to see if I could remember my journey. That is this book. It is a chronicle of my past years of writing, and it is a thanksgiving to all of those who supported our family. It is a recognition that your mind returns and so does your heart. Love returns. It is also a tribute to our ability to recover and be reborn after the burn.

Winona LaDuke

August 12, 2015