Resistence

by Isabell Gourneau

For Indigenous people, resistance is an intrinsic part of their lives and communities, their existence is an act of resistance against the colonial powers that sought to erase them. Resistance is defined as “the refusal to accept or comply with something or the attempt to prevent something by action or argument,” but for Indigenous people, it means something deeper. It is the characteristic they never asked for but were forced to adopt to ensure survival, without the adoption of this trait, Indigenous cultures, languages, and people would have been lost to colonial oppression and assimilation. This essay will focus on the acts of resistance regarding the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) in Standing Rock, South Dakota. The protests in Standing Rock, conducted through legal avenues and activism, demonstrated how resistance empowers Indigenous people to protect their ways of life and dismantle colonial structures, showcasing their bravery, resilience, and solidarity.

On April 29th, 1868, the US Government and the Sioux Nation signed the Treaty of Fort Laramie. The purpose of this treaty was to revise the previously broken Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851. The new treaty required the Sioux Nation to abandon the land promised to them by former treaties with the stipulation that tribes would maintain hunting and fishing rights within these lands (Harvard Law). The treaty also established the Great Sioux Reservation “for the absolute and undisturbed use and occupation” of the Sioux Nation. The treaty forced the Sioux Nation to relinquish thousands of acres of land in exchange for undisturbed peace on reservations. The treaty gave the Sioux Nation hope for a life of peace, but like most treaties between indigenous people and the US Government, it was broken.

Less than 200 years later, In December 2014, the Treaty of Fort Laramie was broken. A company called Energy Transfer Partners applied to the federal government to build the 1,200- mile Dakota Access Pipeline capable of carrying half a million barrels of oil a day. The proposed plan stated that the pipeline would begin in North Dakota, skirt the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, and cross under Lake Oahe, the tribe’s main source of freshwater (The Associated Press). The main concern was that the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s water source would become contaminated by greenhouse gas emissions or an oil spill (Harvard Law). The proposal was not only in clear violation of the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 by threatening the safety of the Standing Rock Sioux Nation, but the tribe was also not consulted about the construction going through their ancestral lands. The proposed pipeline would also pass through ancestral burial grounds, which hold cultural and ceremonial significance to the tribe. Running an oil pipeline through ancestral grounds is one of the highest forms of disrespect in Indigenous cultures. They hold their ancestors with the utmost honor, disturbing their place of rest would deprive the ancestors of the respect they are entitled to (State Historical Society of North Dakota).

In response to the proposed pipeline, the Standing Rock Sioux tribe gave their first act of resistance by passing a resolution that stated, “the Dakota Access Pipeline poses a serious risk to the very survival of our Tribe and ... would destroy valuable cultural resources," (National Museum of the American Indian). This was the first motion in an intense and ongoing legal battle between the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the US Army Corps. The Standing Rock Tribe exhausted nearly every legal avenue to protect their people since the US Government would not uphold their end of the deal. Although the Standing Rock Sioux were ultimately unsuccessful in their attempts to stop the construction of the pipeline, they refused to give up their resistance efforts and kept fighting. Through continued legal resistance, the tribe was able to temporarily halt oil exports through the pipeline and secure a comprehensive environmental review (Harvard Law). The Standing Rock Tribe is still exploring new legal ways to resist, including going after Energy Transfer Corps themselves. New reports show evidence of Energy Transfer Corps neglecting an older pipeline, resulting in numerous oil spills (Soraghan). Legal experts believe this new approach is a long shot, but it is still a shot, nonetheless. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe demonstrated for the nation that indigenous resistance can go beyond protests and encampments by presenting itself in legal battles. They proved that indigenous people are not defenseless, they still remember the broken promises, and they will not give up until the safety of their people and land is guaranteed.

While the legal battle occurred, other forms of indigenous resistance emerged to oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline. In April 2016, opponents of DAPL established a camp in Southern North Dakota to peacefully protest construction. This camp would soon grow from a small core group to hundreds of supporters. The grassroots movement targeted the pipeline, Energy Transfer Partners, and any companies that funded construction (Arizona Law). The movement began with youth from the Standing Rock Reservation showing their resistance by setting up peaceful encampments. They were later joined by other tribes, environmental activists, politicians, celebrities, international observers, and other groups who sympathized with their situation. The protests remained Indigenous-led, with prominent Standing Rock tribal memberstaking charge of the movement, but this time they were not alone (National Museum of the American Indian).

During the 7 months of protesting, protestors and law enforcement had numerous violent clashes that resulted in injuries, arrests, and in one case, death. At least 76 law enforcement agencies, federal agencies, or privately owned security firms were present at the protest sites, leading to a highly militarized response (Arizona Law). The response to the protests was blown out of proportion, instead of a peaceful protest taking place, participants were brutally assaulted by law enforcement and/or taken into custody. Despite the difficulties associated with protesting, participants showcased their resilience by continuing their efforts despite the pushback they received from law enforcement. Protestors were shot with rubber bullets, had tear gas thrown at them, were bitten by dogs, and were sprayed with water in freezing temperatures – but still they, despite the risk of bodily harm or legal ramifications, the protestors continued to fight for their beliefs. The protestors knew that to successfully resist an oppressive power; they must remain resilient because change does not happen without resistance.

The Standing Rock Tribe displayed another important characteristic associated with the concept of resistance at the DAPL protests -- bravery. It takes an enormous amount of bravery to stand up against an oppressor, especially one like the US Government, whom Indigenous people have an extensive history with. The long, bloody history of Indigenous resistance leaves many too afraid to take a stand because those who resisted before them were often prosecuted or killed for their efforts (Pierce). Resistance also places the oppressed in the national spotlight, exposing them to brutal public scrutiny. The presence of systemic racism against Indigenous people in the United States makes them more susceptible to having hateful ideology thrown at them. Prominent figures such as former President Trump have expressed their support of DAPL, saying it “serves a national interest,” which further opened the Indigenous community to right-wing scrutiny (Pevar). The Standing Rock Tribe has shown its bravery by keeping up its resistance efforts for nearly 10 years now, despite the hatred and opposition the tribe faced. The tribe has found the strength to overcome its fears within its people, beliefs, and outside supporters. The treaties and the law would not protect them, so the Standing Rock Tribe had to find the bravery to overcome their history and their opposition to protect themselves. The Standing Rock Tribe and their supporters displayed an impressive showcase of bravery during the DAPL protests, they ignored the public scrutiny and their heavy history to stay focused on what truly mattered, change.

Although the resistance efforts at Standing Rock were brutal and often bloody, there was certain beauty within the strife. The sheer amount of support and solidarity extended to the Standing Rock Tribe during their time of need was truly a sight to behold. Hundreds of people from various backgrounds and ethnicities gathered to show their opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline and its implications (Arizona Law). Around 300 tribes announced they stood with Standing Rock, putting themselves in direct opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline. Several tribes even sent delegations to join the encampments (Tchekmedyian and Etehad). These acts of solidarity led to the largest gathering of Native Americans in nearly 100 years (Arizona Law). The appearance of celebrities Shailene Woodley and Mark Ruffalo at the camps in North Dakota helped bring national awareness to the protests (Lakhani). Divergent star Shailene Woodley felt so passionate about her beliefs that she was willing to be arrested for resisting (ABC News). The Standing Rock Tribe received an outpouring of support from domestic organizations and people, though the support did not end on the national level. Numerous international organizations declared their support and solidarity as well. For example, a delegation of Palestinian youths was sent to North Dakota to join the resistance in September 2016 (Palestinian Youth Movement). The young Palestinian men and women felt a duty to support their fellow indigenous people because of their history. The colonial powers present in Palestine gave them a special perspective-- they understood the pain of having their ancestral land stolen. The treatment of the Standing Rock Tribe did not go unnoticed like so many times before in history, instead, it brought thousands of people together in the name of resistance. The pain and strife associated with resistance are balanced out by the appearance of something truly beautiful – solidarity.

The keyword resistance also plays an important role when considering the possibility of decolonization among indigenous communities. One article described a study conducted within an art program for Inuit youth in Northern Quebec. The Inuit youth who participated in the program frequently resisted the program’s rules and structure through infrequent attendance and non-committal attitudes (Schwan and Lightman). Although most might assume the behavior is maladaptive or deviant, a more compelling theory exists. In the context of Canada's violent colonial history with Indigenous people, researchers theorized that the resistance to the program is better understood as micro-efforts towards decolonization (Schwan and Lightman). Using this same logic, the resistance efforts of the Standing Rock Tribe could be reconceptualized as efforts to achieve decolonization. Resistance is an intrinsic part of the framework for decolonization -- to undo the effects of colonial power, you must first resist its absolute dominance over Indigenous people.

The bravery, resilience, and solidarity displayed at Standing Rock showed that resistance is an undeniable characteristic of Indigenous people and one of the key concepts of decolonization. In a world dominated by colonial ideals and constructs, Indigenous people must take the protection of themselves and their lands into their own hands to ensure their futures. Indigenous people protesting were denied rights to their land and safety while receiving no support from the federal government. The government had promised to guarantee their security within the reservation only 147 years prior with the Treaty of Fort Laramie. The Standing Rock Tribe fought for their rights, gaining both domestic and international support. Hundreds of people from all backgrounds gathered to show their solidarity with the Standing Rock Tribe and advocate for their protection. This show of support was a touching moment in a time of chaos and violence. Despite the pushback the protestors received, they displayed another intrinsic part of Indigenous resistance, resilience. The protestors continued their fight despite being met with militaristic force. The protestors also displayed bravery by exposing themselves to public scrutiny. Indigenous resistance also carries wider implications when you consider decolonization, it is a form of rebelling against the colonial constructs indigenous people were put inside. The protests at Standing Rock exemplified indigenous resistance, it showed that it is something deeper for these communities. Resistance means so much more to indigenous people than the simple definition can give you. For them, it can mean bravery, resilience, solidarity, or even decolonization, but most of all it means survival.

Works Cited

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