Thousands of Native Americans are protesting against a pipeline in North Dakota that threatens Sioux lands and the Missouri River.
Native Americans have united against the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline, a 1,700-kilometre pipeline backed by the company Energy Transfer Partners. The protests began at the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, a Native American reservation near Cannon Ball, in North Dakota, which was the first to oppose the project: the first pipeline that is meant to transport Bakken shale (natural gas and oil extracted from the Bakken Formation, rock formations rich in fossil fuels) through Iowa, all the way to refineries in Illinois. The pipeline is expected to cost 3.7 billion dollars, cross 50 cities across four states and transport 570,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. To the beat of drums, Standing Rock has brought together members of 27 tribes from as far afield as Nevada and Washington.
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The protest started in April when the company announced its intention to route the pipeline beneath the Missouri River. A threat to the territory of the Native American reservation managed by Standing Rock Sioux. The Missouri is the only waterway from which the native people can draw water. In April, at least 20 protesters were arrested on charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct.
The arrests prompted activists and figures from the entertainment world (including American actress Susan Sarandon) to support the native peoples' battle against the oil company, which halted its activities following a number of clashes between protesters and workers. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe filed a complaint against the Army Corps of Engineers for failing to consult local communities before beginning work and for violating laws protecting historic and natural sites. The judges will not issue a ruling before the week of 14 September.
2,500 people from 47 different tribes have protested in recent days. The native peoples gathered together holding rituals, performing songs and praying. The Sioux drew attention to the troubled relationship between native peoples and colonisers. According to Carolyn Harry, a representative of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe reservation near Reno, "American colonialism still exists today, just in a different form. Five hundred years ago they used bayonets and rifles; today it's fracking."
According to Patrick Burtt of the Dresslerville Colony, the conflict in North Dakota is representative of the problems faced by all native peoples across the entire continent. "Many indigenous people are fighting the same battle. Standing Rock Sioux has managed to bring together different protests under a single voice."
It is not only native peoples who are complaining about the damage caused by the construction work, but also local farmers. Francis Goebel, for example, owns 66 hectares in Sioux County, Iowa. His soybean fields were damaged during drilling operations, which caused black liquid from underground to seep up and mix with the topsoil above. "If nature decided to keep them separate, there must be a reason," Goebel declared, joining the protest.