Thanksgiving is right around the corner and while most Americans look forward to this holiday as a time to eat and spend time with their family, some will not be celebrating.
For the Native American people who live in the United States, Thanksgiving is a time of mourning.
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It’s ironic how we celebrate a holiday in which Native Americans saved our first European settlers’ lives, but then find it prudent to not return the favor. The mass genocide and forced emigration to cramped, infertile reservations was never truly deemed worthy enough for reparations, restoration or even acknowledgment in a standard classroom education.
While it’s difficult to know if repayment will ever be substantial or realistic, it’s not for lack of trying. First, we must acknowledge history, then we must support those we harmed in any way possible.
If you have been on social media in the last few months, the hashtag “#NoDAPL” may have come across your screen. This movement references the ongoing protest of the Dakota Access Pipeline, a:
“1,172-mile, 30-inch diameter pipeline that will connect the…Bakken and Three Forks production areas in North Dakota to Patoka, Illinois. The pipeline will enable domestically produced light sweet crude oil from North Dakota to…major refining markets.”
Although it is being promoted as an environmentally responsible endeavor, this could not be farther from the truth. The pipeline will be built through the Lakota Treaty Territory at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation underneath the Missouri River. Not only would this be in violation of the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, but it would also endanger a source of fresh drinking water for the Standing Rock Sioux.
Here are several things you can do to support the Standing Rock Sioux and start to repay the people who gave us Thanksgiving.
1. Support the camps.
The Camp of Sacred Stones was established by the side of the Missouri on April 1, 2016. They are working with the Red Warrior Camp to mobilize and guide nonviolent resistance against the pipeline. You can donate to their camps, legal defense funds, and provide supplies via their Amazon wish list and supply list.
You can also help the Water Protectors Camp prepare for winter.
Sacred Stone Camp's fund / wishlist / supply list
Red Warrior Camp's fund / legal fund
2. Go to Standing Rock.
While is this a financial impossibility for some, others have shown their support by going directly to the site and protesting alongside Native leaders. Celebrities such as Shailene Woodley and former presidential nominee Jill Stein have shown their support by physically being part of the protests at Standing Rock.
3. Check in at Standing Rock.
If you are unable to put your life on standstill and hop on the next plane to the Dakotas, check into the location “Standing Rock Indian Reservation” to confuse and overwhelm law enforcement officers that are attempting to target protesters through their Facebook check-ins. This is also a way to show your solidarity and raise awareness.
4. Let politicians hear your voice.
Call North Dakota governor Jack Dalrymple at 701-328-2200. You can leave a message expressing your thoughts about the pipeline and the harm you believe it will cause.
Call the White House at (202) 456-1111 or (202) 456-1414. Tell President Obama that you want him to withdraw the Army Corps of Engineers’ permit to build the Dakota Access Pipeline.
5. Sign and share petitions.
There are several digital petitions currently in circuit. Quite a few are going to the White House to ask for their assistance in stopping the construction of the pipeline.
6. Reach out to the supporters of the construction.
Several pipeline companies are supporting the project. Some of these are Energy Transfer Partners, Sunoco Logistics and Phillips 66. Many banks are also contributing finances and funds to the development, such as Citigroup, TD, BNP, ING and Wells Fargo. Contact the CEOs and leaders of these companies and express your feelings about their support of the pipeline.
Repayment of land, respect and resources towards Native Americans may never be substantial enough to make up for the losses we dealt. But we must start somewhere. We must start with support.
