Studying The Effects of Standing Rock
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The NoDAPL movement was a series of indigenous-led peaceful protests and encampments against the creation of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). These protests were started and led by the citizens of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (SRST). The citizens of SRST were concerned with the irreparable damages and danger the pipeline posed. The Standing Rock Sioux would later be called the "Water Protectors" and the protests would be centralized on Indigenous rights and environmental stewardship. This movement would eventually garner global attention with 10,000 Indigenous and non-indigenous people joining the protest, and even more people stood in solidarity globally.
Background
Background
The Dakota Access Pipeline stretched 1,200 miles and would pump up to 500,000 barrels of crude oil daily. This project was funded by Dakota Access LLC, which is a subsidiary of ETP. The pipeline during initial planning was supposed to run close to the North Dakotas capitol Bismarck but was rejected due to concern about oil spills. Later, the pipeline was rerouted to flow 1/2 mile away from SRST but also directly under Lake Oahe, which is a branch of the Missouri River. When the SRST voiced their concerns regarding the pipeline, they were dismissed.
The pipeline posed a significant threat to SRST's main and only water source Lake Oahe, other pipelines created by ETP the past year averaged leaking every eleven days. This was the main source of outrage regarding the construction of the pipeline. The pipeline would also destroy multiple sites that were sacred to SRST and held cultural importance. Lake Oahe along with other major bodies of water held immense value and importance to the citizens of SRST, as the former chairman of SRST put it”(o)ur tribe, our people, believe water is sacred. It’s not just a resource, it’s a relative”. The importance of the purity of the water is what inspired many water protectors to become involved, especially in concerns for the next generation.
During the DAPL movement, the SRST created a protest camp at the location where the DAPL would flow. Multiple events occurred in the earliest days of this encampment that quickly drew national and global attention through social media and other online resources. The hashtags #NoDAPL, #Waterislife, and #Standingwithstandingrock were something people gathered around to symbolize their support (Gilio-Whitaker.D.(2019) People, however, did not start paying attention till the protestors were inflicted with violence on September 3, 2016. This was when ETP tried to remove protestors who were blocking the digging up of a sacred site. The protestors were attacked with dogs and mace. It also sparked public attention to the already closely watched protests when police attempted to clear out the “Oceti Sakowin" camp violently (police used long-range acoustic devices, tasers, bean bag guns, pepper spray, concussion grenades, and batons). There were multiple live Facebook feeds that documented the incident and later helped prove that the claims that protestors had set fire to vehicles, threw a Molotov cocktail at police, and one woman fired at police three times were unsubstantiated. This gained much public support with people criticizing police for their disproportionate use of violence against the protestors. This is not the last time that videos helped garner public support for the protestors when peaceful water protectors were attacked with rubber bullets, mace, and tear gas (water cannons were eventually used, which endangered the lives of protesters due to subzero temperatures) while they were taking part in a police blockade.
Through online resources, the events unfolding in North Dakota shocked the world and garnered support from millions of people with millions of dollars raised in support.
However, despite the work and support of millions of people globally. The pipeline would become operational in 2017 following newly elected President Trump telling the Army Corps of Engineers to approve the easement that would allow for the construction of the pipeline without environmental review.
Research Question
Research Question
The focus of this proposal is “Why did the indigenous-led protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline resonate nationally”. Despite the eventual construction of the pipeline we still see a unifying movement where people united and were similarly moved to action. The NoDAPL movement resulted in similar indigenous-led movements against the construction of pipelines in the US such as Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline and Keystone XL.
Theory of Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Theory of Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Traditional ecological knowledge is a multifaceted theory that is used to promote environmental sustainability and responsible stewardship of the land. Through the protest during the NoDAPL movement, we can see how the SRST promotes environmental stewardship of the land, rather than just using it to profit off fossil fuels.
The Six Focus Areas of Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Cosmology
Ethics and Values
Cultural Identity
Management Systems
Observations
Practice and Ethics
References
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Tysiachniouk, M. S., Horowitz, L. S., Korkina, V. V., & Petrov, A. N. (2021). Indigenous-led grassroots engagements with oil pipelines in the U.S. and Russia: the NoDAPL and Komi movements. Environmental Politics, 30(6), 895–917. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2020.1851534
UN Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples | ohchr. (n.d.). https://www.ohchr.org/en/indigenous-peoples/un-declaration-rights-indigenous-peoples
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