Two years on: a photographic tribute to Standing Rock

‘The fight isn’t over’ — Photographer Ryan Vizzions looks back on one of the largest protest movements in American history: what’s changed since, and what he hopes will come next.

From April 2016 until March 2017, one of the largest protest movements in American history took place on the plains of North Dakota at Standing Rock reservation. Over 15,000 people, including members of more than 300 recognised tribes, gathered at resistance camps to protect the water supply of more than 17 million people from the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).

Like many outsiders, photographer Ryan Vizzions first became aware of the movement that September when Democracy Now! broadcast video of the DAPL attacking unarmed Native Americans with dogs and pepper spray. “Being from Atlanta, it echoed the Civil Rights era, so I wanted to understand more,” Vizzions says.

After visiting Oceti Sakowin camp, Vizzions made the decision to quit his job and dedicate himself to the cause that October. Later that month, there was talk of a police raid on 1851 Treaty Camp, just one mile north. At 10:30 on the morning of October 27, they finally arrived. Vizzions rushed up to the front lines where he just in time to photograph a peaceful protester on her horse, watching the full display of US militarization in support of DAPL.

“Defend the Sacred”: Standing Rock, Cannon Ball, North Dakota, 2016

Vizzions titled the photograph “Defend the Sacred” and posted it to a Facebook page with 400 followers. It immediately went viral. After working in the media tent for 18 hours a day, Vizzions recognised he could better serve the movement taking photographs of the actions and life at camp.

When the movement ended, Vizzions left Standing Rock with 40,0000 photographs, a profound sense of connection to the people and their mission — and a target on his back. When disinformation campaigns had been created to smear his name, he fought back, uncovering the identities of mercenaries working for DAPL.

“When you start exposing ex-Blackwater dudes, they don’t like that,” Vizzions says. “They want to be the people in the shadows. That’s where I had to go into hiding.”

Protesters face off with police and the National Guard on February 1, 2017, near Cannon Ball, North Dakota

“My death threats didn’t end when the camps ended. I was no longer protected in the camp. Even there, I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere by myself. I wasn’t prepared what happened to me but I knew I wasn’t going to back down from it.”

Working with the guidance of the leaders of the movement, Vizzions persevered:  “A lot of people consider me family. To have a community of people trust me and love me, I am obligated and want to continue to stand.”

Vizzions does just that in No Spiritual Surrender: A Dedication to Standing Rock, a new photography book accompanied by essays by six Lakota Sioux women including Joye Braun, Paula Antoine, Waniya Locke, Jennifer Weston, Morgan Brings Plenty, and Bobbi Jean Three Legs, who ran from Standing Rock to Washington, DC to ask President Obama to stop DAPL.

“A lot of people came to Standing Rock and came home to nothing: no job or home,” Vizzions says. “800 people were arrested. I saw people do heroic things out there. I owe it to the people that allowed me to take their photos and help tell their story. I can’t give up. The fight isn’t over.”

Standing Rock, February, 2017

Milky Way and Tipi, Standing Rock, 2016

Protesters confront Armored Police Vehicles, October, 2016

Chief Arvol Looking Horse, Standing Rock’s Oceti Sakowin camp, February, 2017

Police line during the sweep of Treaty Camp, north of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, October 27, 2016

Standing Rock, February, 2017

Photographs from Ryan Vizzions: No Spiritual Surrender: A Dedication to Standing Rock will be view at Monroe Gallery during The Photography Show presented by AIPAD (April 4–7). He will be signing books on Friday, April 5 at AIPAD. A second signing will be held April 12 at Monroe Gallery in Santa Fe.

Follow Miss Rosen on Twitter.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter


Latest on Huck

Smiling person in black wetsuit riding surfboard on calm ocean with rocky hills in background.
Sport

Maryam El Gardoum is breaking new shores for Morocco’s indigenous surfers

The Amazigh Atlantic — Through her groundbreaking career and popular surf school, the five-time Moroccan champion is helping women find their places in the waves.

Written by: Sam Haddad

Dimly lit underground carpark, long winding corridor with concrete walls, floor, and pipes above.
Activism

Youth violence’s rise is deeply concerning, but mass hysteria doesn’t help

Safe — On Knife Crime Awareness Week, writer, podcaster and youth worker Ciaran Thapar reflects on the presence of violent content online, growing awareness about the need for action, and the two decades since Saul Dibb’s Bullet Boy.

Written by: Ciaran Thapar

Colourful embroidered jackets worn by two people, with skateboarder visible in background. Bright colours and graphic designs on the clothing.
Sport

Volcom teams up with Bob Mollema for the latest in its Featured Artist Series

True to This — The boardsports lifestyle brand will host an art show in Biarritz to celebrate the Dutch illustrators’ second capsule collection.

Written by: Huck

Black and white image showing a group of shirtless men socialising, some laughing.
Culture

A visual trip through 100 years of New York’s LGBTQ+ spaces

Queer Happened Here — A new book from historian and writer Marc Zinaman maps scores of Manhattan’s queer venues and informal meeting places, documenting the city’s long LGBTQ+ history in the process.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Four persons - three women and one man - posing outdoors. The women are wearing elaborate clothing and jewellery.
Culture

Nostalgic photos of everyday life in ’70s San Francisco

A Fearless Eye — Having moved to the Bay Area in 1969, Barbara Ramos spent days wandering its streets, photographing its landscape and characters. In the process she captured a city in flux, as its burgeoning countercultural youth movement crossed with longtime residents.

Written by: Miss Rosen

A person wearing a black cap and holding a sign that says "What made me"
Music

Tony Njoku: ‘I wanted to see Black artists living my dream’

What Made Me — In this series, we ask artists and rebels about the forces and experiences that shaped who they are. Today, it’s avant-garde electronic and classical music hybridist Tony Njoku.

Written by: Tony Njoku

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.