[Vision2020] 10-8-19 "500 Indigenous students stood in a circle surrounding two 16-year-old climate activists ... in Standing Rock High School gym."

[Ted Moffett]

Short video/audio segments at websites below.
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Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett
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https://www.inforum.com/news/government-and-politics/4711406-Swedish-activist-Greta-Thunberg-brings-climate-message-to-Standing-Rock-Sioux-Nation


Swedish activist Greta Thunberg brings climate message to Standing Rock
Sioux Nation
Natasha Rausch | Oct 8th 2019

FORT YATES, N.D. — Nearly 500 Indigenous students stood in a circle
surrounding two 16-year-old climate activists and their fathers Tuesday
morning, Oct. 8, in the Standing Rock High School gym.

A medicine man blessed the girls — Tokata Iron Eyes and Greta Thunberg — in
what’s known as a smudging ceremony. Then, a circle of men played the drum
as everyone in the gym slowly turned to face the four sacred directions.

One of the drummers, Hans Young Bird Bradley, of the Standing Rock
Environmental Protection Agency, said the tribe has “no choice but to
support them, hold them up” on their mission to spread awareness about
climate change.

“We shouldn’t leave it on the back of two little girls to do this,” he
said. “It’s too much weight to carry for them. It should be all of us doing
our part.”

Thunberg, a Swedish climate activist who came to fame after traveling to
the U.S. on an emissions-free boat, spoke to world leaders at the United
Nations climate action summit in New York last month and has since traveled
North America to continue talking about climate change.

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Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg visits Standing Rock
https://www.kfyrtv.com/content/news/Swedish-climate-activist-Greta-Thunberg-visits-Standing-Rock-562574651.html

Oct. 8, 2019 Daniela Hurtado

STANDING ROCK, N.D. - Sixteen-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta
Thunberg sailed from the U.K. to the U.S. this summer.

She's also addressed the United Nations.

Tuesday morning she was in Standing Rock with environmental activist Tokata
Iron Eyes.

And while she and her message has stirred up controversy both here and
around the world, Tuesday’s crowd admired her for taking such a firm stand.

Greta and Tokata were at Standing Rock high school talking to students
about their mission: a fight to bring awareness to climate change globally.

They spoke to students during the forum. Iron Eyes spoke to Your News
Leader after the panel but Thunberg wasn’t made available for comments.
We asked for an interview ahead of the event and after the panel but
Thunberg was escorted out by BIA

A teenager on a journey to have her voice heard by global leaders.

Tokata said: "She told me that she would like to come to our community and
I invited her and I said yes this would be wonderful. I think the message
to spread to the world is that, in this fight, there's no imaginary
boundaries between us. This crisis puts us all on the same level."

Tokata and Greta spoke to students about how they could get on board with
their mission.

"We need to be creative to come up with every possible way to make your
voice heard and to push in the right direction. And one thing as we have
said is to inform yourselves and especially inform the people around you,"
said Greta.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is taking steps to support that message.
They've added solar panels to conserve energy.

High school student Senna Young Bird said: "We all need to save the planet."

While some supported the message, others talked about Greta and the
movement she's starting at such a young age.

"Greta, she's just an amazing young girl. To come over here, she just blew
me away," said teacher Laurel Iron Road.

Iron Road says if Greta can make changes so can the children on the
reservation.

At the end of the panel with Tokata, Greta was honored with a Lakota name
"Woman Who Came From the Heavens."

Tribal members say she is awakening the world and they stand by her mission.
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