The Sacred Stone Camp

A stunning account of the Sacred Stone Camp's first day, where Indigenous activist LaDonna BraveBull Allard gathered water protectors to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline

The land is sacred to the people. The people are sacred to the land.

As Water Protectors gather to defend the water and protect the land against a black snake that threatens the rivers that millions of people depend on, a young girl looks to her Unci LaDonna and Lala Miles who are leading the way to the camp.

Although she’s nervous about what might happen next, she finds strength from her family and the strangers all coming together to stand up for what’s right.  

Written with love by Rae Rose, who shares many memories with LaDonna, this is a deeply moving tribute to LaDonna’s work and impact with stunning watercolor illustrations by Aly McKnight.

Rae Rose is an Indigenous and Asian writer born and raised in the Coast Salish Territory of Washington state where she now lives with her amazing husband and all her wonderful children. Rae is now a journalist who has contributed to Last Real Indians, the South Seattle Emerald, and Mazaska Talks; wrote the South Dakota short story for the anthology The Haunted States of America; and accompanying articles for the documentary series "Facing the Storm: An Indigenous Response to Climate Change."

Aly McKnight is a self-taught watercolor artist and illustrator whose art features vibrant colors and Indigenous stories. Aly is an enrolled member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and grew up in a small farming community in northern Nevada, She is the second-youngest of eight children and is now based out of Utah, where she lives with her partner, Brockton, of Hawaiian/Samoan descent, and their daughter, Paoakalani.