Ft. Yates Standing Rock Sioux Tribe – From July 6th – 7th, the Sacred Stone Camp hosted the Mni Wiconi Water is Life Youth Festival at Sitting Bull College. The festival featured music, arts, films and workshops.

The festival brought youth together for an opportunity to attend hands on workshops in areas like song writing, photography, film editing, painting and more. The workshops were ran by Myron Dewey, Brian Frejo, Happy Frejo, Joey Montoya, Ryan Redcorn, Alex Schein, and Sol Guy.

In addition, youth got an opportunity to learn about the current status in the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline and other projects impacting Tribal lands from Ladonna Bravebull Allard and Matt Remle.

The festival concluded with a symbolic killing of the Black Snake pipeline when youth and adults worked together in an event called Pull and Rise sponsored by Tsubasa Kato.

Festival video by Women’s Indigenous Media

Photos from festival

Brian Frejo leads youth through team building activities. Photo by Matt Remle

Festival co-organizer DJ Two Bears talks to youth about Rezpect our Water campaign. Photo by Matt Remle

Matt Remle, editor and writer for Last Real Indians and co-founder of Mazaska Talks, talks to the youth about the importance of Native media and the current campaign to divest from fossil fuels. Photo by LaDonna Bravebull Allard.

Youth from Flandreau Indian school. Photo by Matt Remle

Pull and Rise killing of the Black Snake. Photo by Yukari Hilano

Photos taken by K.J. Marie Shakespeare who worked with Ryan Redcorn

Photo by K.J. Marie Shakespeare

Photo by K.J. Marie Shakespeare

Photo by K.J. Marie Shakespeare