Protests have erupted in North Dakota in response to the commencement of the building of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Members of the Dakota, Lakota and Yanktonai tribes, as well as allies from other groups, have gathered to put a stop to the invasive construction of said pipeline, which runs through lands that were promised to the American Indians by the federal government.
In 1868, following the Red Cloud War, the Fort Laramie Treaty was negotiated and signed by the United States Government and the Lakota, Dakota and Arapaho nations. This treaty guaranteed ownership of lands in North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana that would later come to be known as the Great Sioux Reservation.
While this was a small victory for the American Indian tribes who occupied the land, it came after the genocide by European settlers of 80-90% of the native population.
Throughout history, the American Indians were taken advantage of by the US Government. Oftentimes, they were given agreements written in a language they did not understand. Settlers massacred American Indians on their own lands. Fetuses were cut from mothers’ wombs. Militia slaughtered infants by stepping on their heads with boots. Women were raped. Men had their skins cut off and were used as decoration for the militia’s victory parades.
Some American Indians were even forced to vacate their lands, and in one case walk 2,200 miles to US-designated Native American territory in Oklahoma. This migration, now known as the Trail of Tears, was responsible for the killing of as many as 25,000 American Indians.
Additionally, President Abraham Lincoln ordered the largest mass execution to date of 38 Dakota Indians after the Dakota-US Conflict, which ended in the deaths of many natives, as well as 490 European settlers. To contrast, Lincoln sentenced zero Confederate soldiers to death after the Civil War, even though they were responsible for the deaths of more than 400,000 Union soldiers.
These crimes against humanity are a small representation of what was committed by the European settlers in American Indian lands. The US government has since established reservations of land for those of the Native population who survived the genocide, but said lands have still been subject to the passive control of the US Government since then.
Each native nation is supposed to have sovereignty over their lands and the peoples who occupy it. However, according to a 2014 Forbes article, nearly every aspect of economic development is controlled by federal agencies. In addition, the natural resources present on native lands have been nearly impossible for them to develop due to the federal government’s energy regulations. This has resulted in widespread poverty in American Indians reservations across the country.
Now, a private company called Energy Transfer Crude Oil Company is proving to be a modern-day existential threat to the Dakota, Lakota and Yanktonai peoples. They have begun the construction of a pipeline that would run along the Missouri river and through the ancestral lands of said peoples. The pipeline would use fracking, a controversial oil procurement method, which has caused many environmental concerns in the past.
As history shows, a majority of pipelines present in the United States have ruptured or broken. Therefore, the chances that the Dakota Access Pipeline would fracture or break at some point are very high. This would result in the contamination of drinking water along the Missouri River.
In addition to this environmental danger, the pipeline would disturb centuries-old burial grounds and other sacred sites of the native peoples. The Dakota Access Pipeline agreement, approved by federal regulators, is also in complete violation of the aforementioned Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868.
Protests continue despite the arrest of a handful of opponents to the Dakota Access Pipeline, including Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II. As of August 16th, Energy Transfer Crude Oil Company has pressed charges against the protestors. The lawsuit alleges that the peaceful protesters “create a risk of bodily injury or harm to Dakota Access employees and contractors, as well as law enforcement personnel and other individuals at the construction site.”
Protestors are in need of support, whether it be monetary or otherwise.
To help, constituents of North Dakota may contact Congressman Kramer at 202-225-2611 and express their concern over the arrest of peaceful protestors.
Individuals in other states or countries may go to www.sacredstonecamp.org to learn more and consider donating to the cause. You may also send camping gear, medical kits, cooking gear, tables and chairs and many other items to the following address:
PO Box 1011, Fort Yates, North Dakota 58538
Change happens only when people stand up together against what is wrong. If you are privileged enough not to have to worry about the future prosperity of your children, or to know that the graves of your ancestors will remain undisturbed, consider helping people who have lost this privilege. Your support could change the outcome for the people who legally own the rights to this land. Step up. Speak up.
