Usually, no one really thinks about North Dakota unless they're from there, or go visit there. Here is what I know about North Dakota: it's cold, there's a lot of open land where bison run free, and there are several Native American reservations scattered throughout the state.
However, in the past couple of months, I've been following the saga of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). This is a project that is constructing a thousand-plus miles-long oil pipeline underneath the Missouri river.
What's controversial about that?
The Missouri River is the only water access that a specific reservation—better known as Standing Rock, has, and if there is an oil spill, they have no safe water anymore.
In fact, a group of scientists wrote a letter stating that they believe the DAPL brings huge potential for environmental disaster, as it threatens biodiversity, water, and continues our dependency upon fossil fuels even longer. Another argument against the pipeline is that it's being built near sacred ancestral burial grounds.
This entire debacle began in 2014, according to Sacred Stone Camp's timeline of events, and despite repeated meetings and concerns shared by Native Americans, the pipeline has continued to be built. Even a court order has not halted construction, since the order did not cover the entire pipeline.
You're also probably wondering why you need to know or care about this issue.
Our natives have been through centuries of abuse and marginalization. From the Trail of Tears to losing thousands of acres of land and being moved to reservations, I would think we've done quite enough to them.
Apparently, the oil company was going to build the pipeline near Bismarck, North Dakota. After determining that it's a higher-populated, richer part of the state, they moved it to the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation because it had a smaller water supply, according to Doug Hayes, a lawyer who was interviewed in a Huffington Post article about this pipeline.
It's not just the construction and location of the pipeline that is problematic, but the way the protestors have been treated is downright wrong.
For months on end, the tribes have protested the construction of DAPL, and celebrities such as Shailene Woodley and Mark Ruffalo have traveled to Standing Rock to make their voices heard. Woodley was arrested for her protests. She also wrote an article about her experience and urges us to not focus on her, but on the protestors.
In further concerning news, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and sirens have been utilized by police at the Standing Rock protest lines. Protestors have undergone invasive cavity searches and have numbers written on their arms. Teens have broken their wrists when being thrown to the ground by police.
The reason why I am writing about the Dakota Access Pipeline is because I personally think it's wrong. I oppose police brutality in all forms, and I also support clean energy and alternatives to oil. Most of all, what disturbs me deeply is how our nation continuously throws off the native concerns, native lands, and native heritage and history. They were, quite literally, here first, and what have we done? We have been terribly unkind and terribly cruel, and ignoring their concerns over the pipeline is yet another way to suppress them. I encourage you to do your own research into the history of Native American and United States government relations.
Finally, there are millions to be made off this pipeline. Oil brings money, jobs, and energy independence from the Middle East, and I don't argue with those facts. Do the benefits outweigh the drawbacks?
We really, really need to examine if the money is worth the potential catastrophic environmental damage, not to mention the blatant disrespect of our native people.
