"My Seven Months of Living at Standing Rock"

Photo by Desiree Kane

Desiree Kane arrived at Standing Rock in the very last days of May, alongside some comrades, at the request of Wiyaka Eagleman, the first firekeeper at Camp of the Sacred Stones and a founding member of the Keystone XL campaign. He had put out a call to folks in Indian Country for support, and she answered. Over the months, Desiree worked on the security and media teams and always had her camera. Her photos show some of the defining moments of the past seven months--some that made it to mainstream media coverage and others unseen until now. At its peak, Oceti Sakowin Camp has supported as many as 11,000 people, all focused on standing in solidarity with the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota people who lay claim to land through the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie. Both the pipeline and the camps are on these lands. Read more.