Ok, 8 quick notes:

1️⃣ - Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day!

2️⃣ - Important reminder: The US is a nation erected on stolen land.

3️⃣ - This documentary is a must-watch in every sense of the term. Seriously. Make it a priority.

4️⃣ - I previously led the "social justice" division of a secular humanist non-profit involved with human rights advocacy. I made the trek to Standing Rock (with another activist) to help in the resistance efforts. I was present in October 2016, a mere few weeks before most of this documentary was filmed. (Also note, I had an Indigenous activist friend who had been there for months aiding in coordination/leadership there; she was a key contact, immensely helpful, and one of the reasons for me being there.)

5️⃣ - The Standing Rock resistance efforts was always bigger than the immediate Standing Rock and DAPL (Dakota Access Pipeline) situation - it's about broader ethical implications regarding humanity (how we choose to treat each other), it's about protesting and calling attention to the destruction brought about by white supremacist capitalist colonialist-oriented interests uncritically accepted as being part and parcel of everyday way of life, and it's about the longstanding erasure of Indigenous people.

6️⃣ - Watching this reminds me that there remains specific images/experiences forever seared into my memory. A few examples: being present for a meditative moment that involved Indigenous drums and chanting...planes intermittently circling above camp, spying...the smile on the faces of a few cops recklessly occupying sacred land (Turtle Island) as non-aggressive water protectors stood in the water and were being maced.

7️⃣ - It felt both "weird" and warm to be watching a documentary that featured a few familiar faces as well as locations that I literally occupied weeks before. (It's also weird to see cameras in the camp, as no recording of any kind was allowed inside camp when I was there, with good reason.)

8️⃣ - I wrote about my experiences and perspective regarding Standing Rock for The Humanist magazine (it includes several pictures taken by an acitvist friend). That said, I strongly implore everyone to read/listen to Indigenous activists regarding Standing Rock and Indigenous resistance efforts in general.