STANDING ROCK RESERVATION – People from throughout the world continue to make the journey to Standing Rock Reservation. Their length of stay in the Oceti Sakowin, Rosebud and Sacred Stone camps varies. Some may only stay a few days, while others have been in the camps since at least April 1. Yet with a North Dakota winter looming, how many will continue to brave the daily cold and stay?

Sacred Stone Camp, on the edge of Standing Rock Reservation on the Cannonball River, is in a strong position to handle the upcoming winter. Nestled in a valley, the camp is a mix of tipis, store-bought dome tents, mobile homes, and Anishinaabe shelters known as waganoganin.

However, the clock is ticking and residents who have decided to stay the winter are in various stages of construction. Tipi poles trucked in from Minnesota are stripped daily with hatchets and draw knives. Winter clothes and blankets are sorted among the piles of donations. Medical supplies are inventoried daily. A root cellar is being built for food storage and canned goods are in the storage tents.

“Everybody’s working, trying to get ready for winter,” said Ladonna Bravebull Allard, whose family owns the Sacred Stone Camp property. “Why? Because they’re going to stay until we stop the pipeline.”

Allard knows the reality of the North Dakota winter and knows most of the campers do not.

She’s busy putting a plan into motion. Her winter preparation needs include a permanent kitchen, storage and meeting areas. At least 28 tipis and 10 yurts are on order and metal crates are coming in for storage.

Aside from food and shelter, the need for winter clothing is still a concern. People donate clothes, but coats, blankets, hats and gloves aren’t always among them. Wood-burning stoves are needed and wood cannot be cut fast enough.

Visiting nurses from the Registered Nurse Response Network recommended a fire extinguisher per tent, so those are needed too.

Allard’s goal with the shelters is to make sure each family present is inside a tipi, yurt or the waganoganin. Supervising the shelter construction is Jim Northrup, Fond du Lac Anishinaabe. Northrup, a tipi pole maker and cultural specialist, said he learned his skills from both his parents and grandparents.

“It’s all about survival,” Northrup said, “and it’s all about living with gifts from the Creator.”

After bringing in two sets of poles from his home state of Minnesota to Standing Rock, his wife Lisa’s home reservation, the demand grew. Within a short amount of time, Northrup made the decision to stay at Sacred Stone until Dakota Access Pipeline is stopped. Now, Northrup works a shift from roughly before dawn to 2 a.m., overseeing crews to help build shelters. While many of the materials he needs are available, canvas tarps – either by the roll or pre-cut to 20-foot dimensions – are still needed for covering. Northrup says he will coordinate with Rosebud Camp on their tipis as well.

Many campers have expressed interest in staying at Sacred Stone once the fight against Dakota Access Pipeline ends. At press time, Allard is in the planning stages of making a non-profit in order to create a sustainable community, complete with running water, eco-bathrooms, a cellphone/Internet tower, youth media center and cultural workshops.

“I think I’m building a city,” Allard said. “All of that is preparing for winter. We [Lakota] know how to prepare for winter. We’re fearing that a lot of people who have to stand with us might not know. We’re going to have to prepare to make sure.”

For more information on where to send donated items, go to www.sacredstonecamp.org.