Lakota Tonia Stands on Makazita White River -- Crow Butte Uranium Poisoning Water
Article and photos by Tonia Stands, Lakota
Copyright Tonia Stands
Censored News
Published with permission
Yesterday I got to go to a place of happiness and fun made me cry. I could still hear everyone laughing and swimming. It was a hot day, it gets well over 100 this time year. I got to go along side the River that raised me, WHITE RIVER called MAKAZITA in Lakota. The water that my Grandparents fished in and lived off our relatives, the Fish. It provided plenty for ages upon Ages. We aren't the only Relatives that lived along side MAKAZITA. There are huge NESTS for miles all the way thru. This is a very important source of Water to our People here on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Land of the WILD OGLALA.
Back when my Grandpas were Politicians and Tribal Council Men. They gave their salary to the Oyate (they did yes) and ate off the Land and Waters. They ate like this all the time, so much so that one of my Aunts couldn't stand this way of eating. Lol she hated fish & gamey meat. EVERYONE lived and loved it though. It was beautifully abundant here.
West of Oglala, there's a break where the WHITE CLAY MAKA SAN Creek is the waterway to Pine Ridge and into White Clay. This a old Ghost Dance area. I know this area so well, my first home. I always wanted to live here again. We used the dirt clay to paste and seal our walls on the log cabins we grew up in. I had no electricity and running water. We had a hand pump and wood stove. I loved it here. I was born into Survivalist mode here. We even walked into Loneman.
Well I would love to eat here as they did but we can't. We can't because CROW BUTTE URANIUM is pumping, spewing, leaking, spraying, re-injecting ...THEIR DIRTY RADIOACTIVE NIGHTMARE come true in our White River and Below in the AQUIFERS. I have seen my Brothers, and even myself pull fish out deformed and blistered all along this water. We have always fished here for years but never ate the fish. We don't swim anymore here. (Although, our Oyate still swim here.) Last time, I was young, I remember my elders telling me to stay out of the water. We don't like to hunt anymore because we feel so bad for our relatives that drink right from the Uranium Waters. They are our relatives and medicine all along this MAKAZITA White River. We have gathered medicines all along this area. So much grows here. We can't. We know they are sick. Instead we pray and let them go.
I remember so vivid as a little Girl, running down to the water then up on top the Badlands. All day we ran around out there. There is a little stream here, that was my Big River. Oh it was so fun. Now my highest Radiation readings are down by the very same MAKAZITA!! WHITE RIVER. It is so Unbearable I could die just starring at what's really happening here.
Now I have take a Geiger Counter to understand where the Radiation is high. I leave my kids behind. I can't bring them. I have so many Relatives that still live out there. It's just not fair. Now we have to hurry and get the word out. Scramble and work at putting EFFORTS together, because one day soon yet unknown to us -- the CROW BUTTE URANIUM EXPANSION HEARING WILL BE AT THE DOORSTEP OF OUR COMING DAYS. We have to face it and hopefully by then, we have so much evidence to prove that we are being under so much CONTAMINATION and Radiation. We have to stop this. We have to force them to stop because they won't, they don't want to. They don't care. They won't care. But we have to. We have to care. We have to talk and stay educated. We have to be the fierce smart Warrior and get this done -- together. Because it's coming -- any day now.
Back when my Grandpas were Politicians and Tribal Council Men. They gave their salary to the Oyate (they did yes) and ate off the Land and Waters. They ate like this all the time, so much so that one of my Aunts couldn't stand this way of eating. Lol she hated fish & gamey meat. EVERYONE lived and loved it though. It was beautifully abundant here.
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| Geiger Counter |
West of Oglala, there's a break where the WHITE CLAY MAKA SAN Creek is the waterway to Pine Ridge and into White Clay. This a old Ghost Dance area. I know this area so well, my first home. I always wanted to live here again. We used the dirt clay to paste and seal our walls on the log cabins we grew up in. I had no electricity and running water. We had a hand pump and wood stove. I loved it here. I was born into Survivalist mode here. We even walked into Loneman.
Well I would love to eat here as they did but we can't. We can't because CROW BUTTE URANIUM is pumping, spewing, leaking, spraying, re-injecting ...THEIR DIRTY RADIOACTIVE NIGHTMARE come true in our White River and Below in the AQUIFERS. I have seen my Brothers, and even myself pull fish out deformed and blistered all along this water. We have always fished here for years but never ate the fish. We don't swim anymore here. (Although, our Oyate still swim here.) Last time, I was young, I remember my elders telling me to stay out of the water. We don't like to hunt anymore because we feel so bad for our relatives that drink right from the Uranium Waters. They are our relatives and medicine all along this MAKAZITA White River. We have gathered medicines all along this area. So much grows here. We can't. We know they are sick. Instead we pray and let them go.
I remember so vivid as a little Girl, running down to the water then up on top the Badlands. All day we ran around out there. There is a little stream here, that was my Big River. Oh it was so fun. Now my highest Radiation readings are down by the very same MAKAZITA!! WHITE RIVER. It is so Unbearable I could die just starring at what's really happening here.
Now I have take a Geiger Counter to understand where the Radiation is high. I leave my kids behind. I can't bring them. I have so many Relatives that still live out there. It's just not fair. Now we have to hurry and get the word out. Scramble and work at putting EFFORTS together, because one day soon yet unknown to us -- the CROW BUTTE URANIUM EXPANSION HEARING WILL BE AT THE DOORSTEP OF OUR COMING DAYS. We have to face it and hopefully by then, we have so much evidence to prove that we are being under so much CONTAMINATION and Radiation. We have to stop this. We have to force them to stop because they won't, they don't want to. They don't care. They won't care. But we have to. We have to care. We have to talk and stay educated. We have to be the fierce smart Warrior and get this done -- together. Because it's coming -- any day now.
We have to SHUT DOWN CROW BUTTE URANIUM AND NEVER EVER AN EXPANSION OF 3 MORE ISL URANIUM MINES. ZITA
1 comment:
So how much radiation is your geiger counter detecting above background? Also uranium mining is a very well regulated industry. I would be very surprised if they were simply dumping tailings or waste into your river. I am also very confused as to why you are upset with them pumping water back into the aquifer that they took the uranium out of. In most leaching operations the water going back into the ground has had much of the naturally occurring radioactive isotopes removed from the water; so in essence they are pumping out the toxic uranium filled water and returning the treated cleaner water to the aquifer.
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