Lil’watémclhkan Ts’ila ts7a: How the water protectors won

I did a column about the Standing Rock Sioux’s stand against the Dakota Access pipeline (DAPL) in October. On Sunday (Dec. 4) news broke that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will not allow the pipeline to be built on its current route near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.

It’s a huge victory for the water protectors — the term Standing Rock activists used and what I will call them in this column. But it took months of action and sacrifice to get to this point.

Back in October, not much media coverage was given to this environmental and Indigenous rights issue.   

Since then, media coverage has slowly started to trickle in, but most coverage has been done from a Eurocentric viewpoint. Most mainstream media coverage doesn’t tell the whole story. It seems to come from a biased stance that paints Standing Rock activists in a negative light.

Violence against Standing Rock water protectors by law enforcement had been gradually escalating over the past months.

On the night of Nov. 20, tear gas, rubber bullets, concussion grenades and water cannons in -2 C weather were used against the water protectors by law enforcers. Water cannons had been used numerous times against water protectors in sub-zero weather.

Water protectors have suffered numerous injuries from the violence used by law enforcers. For example, a young Caucasian activist may lose her arm after being hit with a concussion grenade.  Another Indigenous woman lost her eyesight in one eye from a rubber bullet.

Law enforcement officers, DAPL pipeline security, and the National Guard had been using over-kill tactics against water protectors at Standing Rock for the past while.

After seeing all of the unnecessary violence that was used against water protectors at the camp, some U.S. veterans made a call-out to each other to come together at Standing Rock to protect water protectors on the front lines with a peaceful, unarmed presence.  

According to social media, the presence of veterans continued to get bigger at Standing Rock, with veterans coming from all over North America.

Veterans made statements on news channels like CBC, and on social media regarding how they can’t believe that the U.S. is treating Indigenous people, and its own citizens in such a disrespectful, oppressive manner.

It is ironic that Indigenous veterans went to various international wars to fight for the rights and freedoms of the U.S. and Canada, while their own people have been — and are still going through — the same internal colonial oppression that they fought for and are still fighting for on the international level.

On this side of the border, I watched the announcement by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as he gave approval for the twinning of the Kinder Morgan pipeline that is set to snake across B.C. to the plant in Burnaby. He claims to have the approval of First Nations for the pipeline.

But, it is evident with all of the marches and rallies, social media posts, and media releases from First Nations leaders, and political groups that he has broken his promise to consult with Native people before approving resource based extractions, or intrusive pipelines within our territories.  

It is disheartening that Indigenous MP and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould stood beside Trudeau showing support as he approved the Kinder Morgan pipeline.  

In his announcement, Trudeau states that no amount of pressure or persuading will make him change his mind about approving the pipeline.

The sad thing about it is that everyone can see the potential damage to the environment by pipelines. Yet, governments approve them. The rights of oil and gas export, money and corporate power are protected over the rights of our future generations to have clean air and clean drinking water.

As a First Nations person, one can’t help but feel disillusioned with society and how the rights of pipeline companies trump the rights of the environment, and the inherent rights of Indigenous people.

An old Indigenous prophecy describes “a black snake crossing the land, bringing with it devastation and destruction.” Water protectors at the Standing Rock camp refer to the black snake as the pipeline. Another prophecy describes how “rainbow people” of many colours will come together in unity with Indigenous people to fight for the rights of the environment, and to help teach humanity to respect the earth.

The second prophecy seemed to happen at Standing Rock, and with stands against other pipelines like Kinder Morgan, and natural gas plants like the LNG plant in Woodfibre near Squamish people of all colours and ethnicities are coming together to fight for Indigenous rights, and the rights of the environment.  

You know that the decisions of corporate resource-based companies and governments are wrong when people start coming together to fight for, and against, a common cause. Support for Standing Rock reached global levels — and it’s made a diference.