— by Kelly Rose, Updated Nov. 2 —
More than 70 Islanders gathered at Odd Fellows Hall last Tuesday, October 25, in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Nation to protest the construction of the 1,172 mile Dakota Access oil pipeline.
People were eager to get updated and strategize how to best support efforts as the situation escalates in North Dakota. The donation basket overflowed, there were many offers of jackets, sleeping bags, tents, etc., and several islanders decided to make the journey to North Dakota to bring supplies and help at the frontlines.
The protesters, better known as “water protectors,” have been camping at the site since July in an effort to blockade the construction. The pipeline’s path runs through treaty lands, tribal burial grounds, and across the Missouri River. The Missouri supplies water to the reservation and well beyond. Several at the meeting noted concern that Energy Transfer Partners/Dakota Access conducted limited environmental studies and provided only segregated environmental impact statements – nothing to address the overall pipeline.
Over 300 tribes have come to Standing Rock to demonstrate solidarity and support to the Sioux. According to the BBC, this has become “the largest gathering of Native Americans in more than 100 years,” At Standing Rock, tribes with long-standing tensions are now together praying, working, sharing food and songs, and mentoring each others’ youth.
A handful of Islanders have also traveled to Standing Rock to deliver supplies and offer support. At the meeting Jessa Lewis, Peter Giampietro, and Emmett Adam spoke about their experiences and gave updates on the situation.
In the five weeks he was there, Giampietro estimated that well over 30,000 people have come through to join the action. Adam, recently returned from a week at the reservation, spoke of the logistics of the different camps, current roadblocks and access to the site. Lewis, having returned from her third trip to Standing Rock a few days before the meeting, explained the political situation and the need for native-generated media coverage. They echoed that there are many ways to support the efforts, but word from the camp is “Help from home, but come if you can.”
As things heat up, police forces from multiple states and the national guard are on site utilizing various less-lethal weaponry. Over 200 water protectors have been arrested. Lewis reported, “There are drones, helicopters, planes, snipers, guard dogs, pepper spray, blacked out SUVs. All of a sudden a truck will go by and our cell service would go out, so we believe they have stringrays to cancel cell reception.”
The stakes are high, all the way around. “What’s going on at Standing Rock will set the precedence for Indian Treaty Rights everywhere. This is why there is so much resistance, this is why it is crucial to support these efforts,” said Lewis. Meeting attendees also noted that the issue connects to fracking, water quality, indigenous rights, government and corporate partnerships, and human rights in general.
Giampietro later added, “This moment is huge. But it’s not just this moment, we need to go back and be leaders in movements where we live. We need to work together to support local indigenous people and network to create alternatives for systems that are no longer working. The message from Standing Rock is to be part of positive change.”
As the meeting came to a close, Sharon Abreu led the group in a song…
“From Orcas Island straight on thru to no Dakota we’re with you.
We say no fossil fuels. We say treaties are rule.
We know what we have to do –
Standing with the Standing Rock Sioux”
You can stay connected with the local efforts through the facebook group “Orcas Standing Rock Support.”
Ongoing local meetings will continue, Sundays at 6 p.m. – this Sunday at the library. Contact Learner Limbach or Caitlin Herlihy if you’d like to donate supplies, money, or food to local efforts. You can also donate to the Sioux DAPL Fund at standingrock.org. Donations can be made through gofundme.com at https://www.gofundme.com/
So glad to have been at the meeting and so happy that the word will be passed to others.
Thanks for a great article.
A very important fact is that the police forces and their military equipment from OTHER States are ONLY authorized under FEMA to mobilize in Natural Disasters! (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, etc) and definitely Not at the request of any private corporation or Governor of any State to violate the Constitutional protections under Our Bill of Rights to Peaceably Assemble. This is a perfect example of how little regard the corporations and their Lobbyists and Congressional Minions truly regard our Constitutional Rights! The Sleeping Giant is waking up!
Spirit Eagle