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[Dalek]

Forgiveness Ceremony Unites Veterans And Natives At Standing Rock Casino

On Monday, Native Americans conducted a forgiveness ceremony with U.S. veterans at the Standing Rock casino, giving the veterans an opportunity to atone for military actions conducted against Natives throughout history.

In celebration of Standing Rock protesters’ victory Sunday in halting construction on the Dakota Access Pipeline, Leonard Crow Dog formally forgave Wes Clark Jr., the son of retired U.S. Army general and former supreme commander at NATO, Wesley Clark Sr.

Salon published Clark’s apology to the Natives, which read as follows:

Many of us, me particularly, are from the units that have hurt you over the many years. We came. We fought you. We took your land. We signed treaties that we broke. We stole minerals from your sacred hills. We blasted the faced of our presidents onto your sacred mountain. When we took still more land and then we took your children and then we tried to make your language and we tried to eliminate your language that God gave you, and the Creator gave you. We didn’t respect you, we polluted your Earth, we’ve hurt you in so many ways but we’ve come to say that we are sorry. We are at your service and we beg for your forgiveness.

This was a historically symbolic gesture forgiving centuries of oppression against Natives and honoring their partnership in defending the land from the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Chief Leonard Crow Dog offered forgiveness and urged for world peace, responding that “we do not own the land, the land owns us.”

Natives Faith Spotted Eagle and Ivan Looking Horse also spoke at the ceremony.

Leonard Crow Dog, a Lakota elder and highly-regarded activist, left, places his hand over Wesley Clark Jr.’s head during a forgiveness ceremony for veterans at the Four Prairie Knights Casino & Resort on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on Monday.

Wesley Clark Jr. and other veterans kneel in front of Leonard Crow Dog during a forgiveness ceremony at the Four Prairie Knights Casino & Resort on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on Monday.


More photos and video at the link.

 

[timetokill]

Man I hope they weren't playing the national anthem or there's gonna be a shitstorm on Fox News

Spoiler

there will probably be one anyway

Anyway this is pretty cool, sorely needed in days like these
powerful stuff

 

[Rebel Leader]

Powerful pictures

 

[Frozenprince]

Excellent gesture, to be sure.

Now if we could not continue to destroy their land when Trump is elected, that would be swell.

 

[theignoramus]

Thats pretty dope.

 

[Zaphrynn]

Excellent gesture, to be sure.

Now if we could not continue to destroy their land when Trump is elected, that would be swell.

Indeed.

Really uplifting to see this. It doesn't change the past, but it's something.

 

[yanipheonu]

With Trump's cabinet's notion of drilling on tribes' lands, native people may turn out to be a focal point in the anti-Trump movement.

 

[Square2015]

This is amazing, why is it being largely ignored?

 

[sphagnum]

Damn, I teared up.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Powerful pictures

Indeed. The look on Clark's face says it all.

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

Damn, that's good.

 

[-Plasma Reus-]

“we do not own the land, the land owns us.

Right in the feels.

 

[KingK]

Those are some really powerful pictures. And that apology held nothing back, he seems sincere to me.

 

[Slayven]

Good stuff

 

[LegendofJoe]

I think Wesley Clark Jr. needs to run for office. He's the type of leader this country sorely needs at the moment.

 

[Bronx-Man]

Those are some powerful photos.

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

Wow. This is really cool.

 

[LookAtMeGo]

Nice to see some good news. This is great.

 

[old manatee]

Really inspiring stuff. I'm still in the best kind of shock about what happened this week.

 

[HStallion]

I tend to be a pretty cynical person in a lot of things especially how the world generally thinks and acts but this is touching as all Hell. That apology sounds heartfelt and combined with the pictures of the people kneeling I can't but say Bravo! There is no changing the past but we can most certainly all work towards a better future and one of those most important ways to do that is acknowledge our past, good and bad, and learn from it. Once again, Bravo!

 

[kittoo]

Just read the news and thought it would be blowing up on gaf. Surprised it's not.
An amazing gesture and an uplifting act. Almost teared up reading the article. The images are even more powerful.