Andrew Crighton
News Editor
The planning stages of the Dakota Access Pipeline began in late 2014. The pipeline is intended to be approximately 1,172 miles long and carry crude oil from North Dakota through four states and end in Illinois.
This project only caught the public’s attention a few months ago, August 2016 at the latest.
Due to concerns about destruction of sacred lands and the contamination of the watershed, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe began protesting the pipeline that was scheduled to be built approximately one mile from the tribe’s reservation.
Alexandria Alvarez is a former student of Idaho State University and a member of the regional Shoshone-Bannock Tribes.
Alvarez moved to North Dakota to study, but also to take part in the movement. Until recently, there hadn’t been a lot of national media coverage of the protests, and information in general can be hard to find. Alvarez explained her role in the movement, gave an overview of the situation from the perspective of the tribes and discussed why this is important on a national scale.
The original route of the pipeline was supposed to run near Bismarck, the capital of the state.
After considerable push-back from the city, the route was changed. This is the route that has brought it so close to Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. After this change, the Army Corps of Engineering was supposed to have meaningful consultations and meetings with tribal leaders.
This is in accordance with the right of consultation with Native American tribes in federal matters that concern them. This right has been a speaking point for President Obama during his time in office but goes back to Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.
Dave Archambault II, chairman for the Standing Rock Sioux, called for meetings to take place with the people of the reservation.
According to Alvarez, these meetings allegedly never took place. One of the main points of concern for protesters is the possible contamination of the reservation’s source of drinking water. This is why they have chosen to call themselves Water Protectors.
The pipeline will cross the Missouri River twice, once in a location that is linked to the origin story of the Mandan, one of the historical tribes that reside in North Dakota. The Missouri River is also the main source of drinking water for the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.
If the pipeline breaks, it will destroy that source of water and in Alvarez’s opinion, it’s only a matter of when, not if.
The events that brought these protests into the public eye occurred a few months ago. The first was when Dakota Access Pipeline bulldozed burial grounds and teepee rings, artifacts that are rare in North Dakota due to their age.
The second event was when private security hired by Dakota Access, LLC released attack dogs on protesters.
The Morton County Sheriff’s Department released a public statement concerning the protests leading up to this event which contains the following excerpt, “any suggestion that today’s event was a peaceful protest is false. This was more like a riot than a protest.”
The protesters deny that the event was violent, or that any of the security teams were attacked. They further allegate that the department falsifies reports and even bars journalists from entry into the camps to report.
These events spawned coverage from large media outlets for a short time. Something Alvarez noticed though, were the comments beneath many of the online articles. Commenters were saying that those participating in the protests were uneducated, unemployed and living off of government subsidies.
“That upset me,” said Alvarez. “I already have a bachelor’s and associate degree. I know of journalists down here who have master’s degrees or Ph.D.s.”
Alvarez also commented on the accounts that protests were violent. She told a story about how during the beginning of the protests, there was a large influx of young men who said they were ready to fight and die. Archambault told them that if they wanted to die, then they shouldn’t be there. This was a peaceful protest, and they wanted people who wanted to live.
Alvarez believes that this is a matter that should be of more concern to more people. In her words, “It’s not just a North Dakota problem.”
There have also been protests by non-Native people in Illinois, the destination of the pipeline.
“I think that this will be something that tribal communities will be talking about for years to come. It really is a tipping point, we’re trying to see if the world is listening and the world is watching and if the world is going to decide what’s the right thing to do.”
This protest was started by students, according to Alvarez, and she wants all the young people to know that there is power in their voices.
North Dakota is not her home, but she still feels it is very important to stand with the protesters now.
“This isn’t necessarily my homeland, but who’s to say that somewhere in Idaho down line, something like this could happen. Who will stand with us?” said Alvarez.
A rally against the Dakota Access Pipeline took place in the parking lot of the Stephens Performing Arts Center on September 17.
