You may have heard the terms "Standing Rock," "Pipeline," and "Thanksgiving Irony" throughout the past few weeks. If, when hearing these uncontextualized terms, you nodded your head along without understanding what they truly meant, don't feel bad - just read on.

What is Standing Rock?

1. The Standing Rock Sioux Reservation "was originally established as part of the Great Sioux Reservation," located in North and South Dakota.

2. It functions using a structure of elected officials and "stands by its right to self-govern as a sovereign nation, which includes taking a government-to-government stance with the states and federal government entities."

3. "The Tribal Council passes legislation, makes budgets, approves of financial transactions, and makes major decisions affecting the tribe."

Answers based on Standing Rock's official website.

Why is Standing Rock protesting a pipeline?

1. The Dakota Access Pipeline is meant to "enable 100 percent domestically produced light sweet crude oil from North Dakota to reach major refining markets in a more direct, cost-effective, safer and responsible manner. The pipeline will also reduce the current use of rail and truck transportation to move Bakken crude oil to major U.S. markets to support American energy needs" (pipeline facts).

2. However, the Standing rock Sioux tribe filed an injunction on the building process of this pipeline, as its intrusive passage through Standing Rock poses possible damage to the pure drinking water of the Sioux tribe, who live on land that has been deemed sacred and in need of protection due to its historical and cultural significance. However, despite the government's acknowledgment of its sacred status and value, they rejected the injunction anyway.

3. The Standing Rock tribe has led the protest efforts since the injunction rejection. Protesters from the tribe have been joined and supported by other tribe members, civilian allies, media representatives, and politicians.

4. They are demanding a change in route due to a number of past pipeline accidents in recent years (Chicago Tribune). Want to know why the pipeline is going through Standing Rock in the first place? Because, despite the original route being set to pass near Bismarck, the federal government decided that if the pipeline was to experience some form of accident, the state's capital would be at risk of contamination.

How are these protests going so far?

1. These demonstrations have represented the epitome of perseverance against federally-backed obstacles and injustice.

2. Local officials have used a number of inhumane tactics to put an end to these protests: pepper spray, tear gas, rubber bullets, water hoses (in freezing weather), mass (and unwarranted) arrests, and the biological contamination of their agricultural resources (HP).

If you want to know how you can help, check out this incredibly helpful website.