Water is Life — It’s a Common Cause for Standing Rock, Central Florida
Protesting the oil pipeline at Standing Rock. (John L. Mone / AP)
Valentina Guerrero
New Voices columnist
Along the banks of the Cannonball River, on the outskirts of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota, thousands of Indigenous people stand in solidarity. More than 300 Native nations are represented, in the largest gathering of Indigenous peoples in the past 100 years. They gather peacefully, with a shared understanding and mission: "Water is life."
Dotting the horizon, yellow construction machines loom, menacing and waiting to challenge this universal assertion. Money, in the form of black gold, usurps the right to life for the project developers of the Dakota Access pipeline.
The Dakota Access pipeline is 1,172-miles long and designed to transport 470,000 barrels of crude oil through Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska daily. This $3.7 billion project would run beneath the Missouri River, the primary water source of the Standing Rock Sioux people. It would cut through the tribe's ancestral lands and sacred places, crossing within half a mile of the Standing Rock reservation. For months, Native Nations and their allies have been protesting the construction of this pipeline, claiming that it will threaten their primary water supply on sacred land.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is suing the federal government, asserting that they were not consulted adequately over the construction of this pipeline — violating the National Historic Preservation Act. In their formal complaint, the Standing Rock Sioux claim that the pipeline's construction "threatens the Tribe's environmental and economic well-being and would damage and destroy sites of great historic, religious, and cultural significance to the Tribe."
The land, water and sovereignty of the Standing Rock Sioux people are all affected by the blatant violation of Indigenous people's (read: human) rights in constructing an oil pipeline without proper consent or assessment. The Standing Rock Sioux people have appealed to the United Nations, declaring the Dakota Access Pipeline's construction a human-rights violation. U.N. representatives plan to visit South Dakota for further investigation.
A leak or spill in the pipeline could be disastrous to the Missouri River — an essential source of water for this reservation and many other Americans. In considering other pipeline routes pre-construction, one path was rejected in an initial environmental review because it "would be near and could jeopardize the drinking water of the residents in the city of Bismarck." Iowa farmers also vocalized concerns that the pipeline could damage their land and water. How is the safety of one group of people more important than another? Are we not all human?
Water protectors at Standing Rock are peacefully protesting construction of the Dakota Access pipeline. Native Nations stand together in settlement camps that they refuse to leave until the pipeline's construction is terminated. Although they are unified in a pact of nonviolence, law-enforcement officials' responses have largely resorted to force. On Oct. 22, 83 people were arrested for "criminal trespass" and "unlawful tactics." Militarized police in riot gear are said to strip-search water protectors who were charged with only misdemeanor offenses. Standing Rock Chairman Paul Archambault is asking the Department of Justice to send observers and ensure Native constitutional rights are upheld. History seems to repeat itself in Standing Rock as Native people are "dehumanized and degraded" even while engaging in "prayerful protest" to protect their right to life and water.
Desecrating Standing Rock Sioux (or any Native Nation's) sacred sites, in addition to egregious militarized affronts to their rights and sovereignty, should be treated as illegal. It is shameful. As U.S. citizens, we should hold ourselves to a higher standard. This means upholding our laws, confronting environmental injustice, and demanding a place at the table for all. We should hold our government representatives and ourselves accountable to protect all human beings regardless of race, class, religion, gender or other status.
The Standing Rock people and their allies have frequently asserted that this movement is not just about them, it is about our shared environment. "Water is life." This is true for the Native American community, for your neighbor, for our future generations. I would also like to acknowledge that Central Florida is comprised of the sacred lands of the Timucua, Ocale, Potano, Yustaga, Tocobago people (and more). We are all witnesses to Standing Rock.
Valentina Guerrero, 19, of Orlando graduated from Windermere Preparatory School in 2015. She is a sophomore at Yale University.
Stand with Standing Rock by donating winter gear, clothing, and tents to Sacred Stone Camp, P.O. Box 1011, Fort Yates, ND 58538. Sign the pledge of resistance or donate to their legal defense fund at sacredstonecamp.org. Share this article on social media or use the hashtags #NoDAPL and #StandWithStandingRock to spread awareness. Visit rezpectourwater.com to learn more and sign the petition asking the Army Corps of Engineers to stop construction of the pipeline.
Valentina Guerrero
New Voices columnist
Along the banks of the Cannonball River, on the outskirts of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota, thousands of Indigenous people stand in solidarity. More than 300 Native nations are represented, in the largest gathering of Indigenous peoples in the past 100 years. They gather peacefully, with a shared understanding and mission: "Water is life."
Dotting the horizon, yellow construction machines loom, menacing and waiting to challenge this universal assertion. Money, in the form of black gold, usurps the right to life for the project developers of the Dakota Access pipeline.
The Dakota Access pipeline is 1,172-miles long and designed to transport 470,000 barrels of crude oil through Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska daily. This $3.7 billion project would run beneath the Missouri River, the primary water source of the Standing Rock Sioux people. It would cut through the tribe's ancestral lands and sacred places, crossing within half a mile of the Standing Rock reservation. For months, Native Nations and their allies have been protesting the construction of this pipeline, claiming that it will threaten their primary water supply on sacred land.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is suing the federal government, asserting that they were not consulted adequately over the construction of this pipeline — violating the National Historic Preservation Act. In their formal complaint, the Standing Rock Sioux claim that the pipeline's construction "threatens the Tribe's environmental and economic well-being and would damage and destroy sites of great historic, religious, and cultural significance to the Tribe."
The land, water and sovereignty of the Standing Rock Sioux people are all affected by the blatant violation of Indigenous people's (read: human) rights in constructing an oil pipeline without proper consent or assessment. The Standing Rock Sioux people have appealed to the United Nations, declaring the Dakota Access Pipeline's construction a human-rights violation. U.N. representatives plan to visit South Dakota for further investigation.
A leak or spill in the pipeline could be disastrous to the Missouri River — an essential source of water for this reservation and many other Americans. In considering other pipeline routes pre-construction, one path was rejected in an initial environmental review because it "would be near and could jeopardize the drinking water of the residents in the city of Bismarck." Iowa farmers also vocalized concerns that the pipeline could damage their land and water. How is the safety of one group of people more important than another? Are we not all human?
Water protectors at Standing Rock are peacefully protesting construction of the Dakota Access pipeline. Native Nations stand together in settlement camps that they refuse to leave until the pipeline's construction is terminated. Although they are unified in a pact of nonviolence, law-enforcement officials' responses have largely resorted to force. On Oct. 22, 83 people were arrested for "criminal trespass" and "unlawful tactics." Militarized police in riot gear are said to strip-search water protectors who were charged with only misdemeanor offenses. Standing Rock Chairman Paul Archambault is asking the Department of Justice to send observers and ensure Native constitutional rights are upheld. History seems to repeat itself in Standing Rock as Native people are "dehumanized and degraded" even while engaging in "prayerful protest" to protect their right to life and water.
Desecrating Standing Rock Sioux (or any Native Nation's) sacred sites, in addition to egregious militarized affronts to their rights and sovereignty, should be treated as illegal. It is shameful. As U.S. citizens, we should hold ourselves to a higher standard. This means upholding our laws, confronting environmental injustice, and demanding a place at the table for all. We should hold our government representatives and ourselves accountable to protect all human beings regardless of race, class, religion, gender or other status.
The Standing Rock people and their allies have frequently asserted that this movement is not just about them, it is about our shared environment. "Water is life." This is true for the Native American community, for your neighbor, for our future generations. I would also like to acknowledge that Central Florida is comprised of the sacred lands of the Timucua, Ocale, Potano, Yustaga, Tocobago people (and more). We are all witnesses to Standing Rock.
Valentina Guerrero, 19, of Orlando graduated from Windermere Preparatory School in 2015. She is a sophomore at Yale University.
Stand with Standing Rock by donating winter gear, clothing, and tents to Sacred Stone Camp, P.O. Box 1011, Fort Yates, ND 58538. Sign the pledge of resistance or donate to their legal defense fund at sacredstonecamp.org. Share this article on social media or use the hashtags #NoDAPL and #StandWithStandingRock to spread awareness. Visit rezpectourwater.com to learn more and sign the petition asking the Army Corps of Engineers to stop construction of the pipeline.
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