“Water is sacred. It is the first medicine. Without water there would be no life.” These are only a few of the statements and teachings about water that were offered by the Native American Elders I’ve been blessed to encounter.
Their reverence for water compelled me to view my use of water in a whole other way. Prior to their teachings I had not given much thought to water and its role in my daily life, let alone the impact of water on all of life. I would say much of my limited awareness was related to water always being there. In my corner of the world water was clean and easy to access. What would happen if that changed?
Right now in the United States there is a major threat to the purity of water. Indigenous people are gathered to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) because it threatens water sources, including the Missouri river. The same people who are implementing the DAPL have already had a devastating spill in another area.
The protesters have been maced for their stand against the pipeline. One journalist was brought up on charges of trespassing for reporting what is taking place there. Those charges were thrown out by the judge, but those gathered still face fierce militant opposition.
I’m writing to bring more awareness to the issue of safe water. Think for a moment how life would be for you if the water was contaminated, or if it were not freely available. What would you do without water?
We can all offer our support of clean and free water. Please take time today and in the days that follow, to offer thanks to the water. Pray in whatever way is yours and if you don’t pray send a thought, that the water always be pure and freely available not just for yourself but for all of life. I ask that your also send love and peace to the those gathered to protect the water. Visualize a quick and peaceful resolution that protects the sacred water for “without water there is no life.”
Aho Mitakuye Oyasin
