Frog or Dakkya in Zuni is a sign of water. Water is life, a sacred resource for Indigenous cultures including The Lakota Nation whose word Mní wičhóni translates to "Water Is Life". It was the protest anthem from the Standing Rock Sioux who vehemently opposed the construction of an oil pipeline on their ancestral lands because an oil spill would threaten their water supply and cultural resources. In 2016, the Dakota Access Pipeline was originally supposed to cross the Missouri River near Bismarck but was moved over concerns that an oil spill at that location would have contaminated the state capital's drinking water. Instead, violating Article II of the Fort Laramie Treaty, which guarantees the "undisturbed use and occupation" of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation lands, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers accepted an application filed by developers Energy Transfer Partners to move forward with the illegal project. Calvert Bowannie's small amphibian reminds us of sacred water and the fragility of sensitive habitats where it lives. Carved from serpentine and inlaid with turquoise accents, this water friend is about 1 5/8" long, 1 1/8" wide and 3/4" tall. The nature of the rock resembles a frog's camouflaging skin.
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