Water Is Life #NoDAPL

Those of you who follow me on Facebook may have noticed that I have been posting a lot about events in North Dakota during the last month. You may be asking, why does she keep posting about this? One reason is that the mainstream media hasn't been paying attention—and in those situations social media can become an alternative resource for keeping everyone informed and safer. But a second reason I am posting is that I believe what is happening there is one of the most important events of our time. It is the largest gathering of Indigenous people in over a hundred years, and impacts the issues of environmental justice, racial justice, and protecting clean water for everyone.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and thousands of Native and non-Native allies are peacefully camping near the junction of the Cannonball and Missouri Rivers, to protect the water from contamination by the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. These are the waters that the Tribe relies on for its water supply.  Water is life, water is sacred. This is a non-violent gathering to pray and to stand up for life. But construction has already begun on the pipeline, meant to carry fracked crude oil from the Bakken plains through North and South Dakota and Iowa to Illinois. The plan is for the pipeline to go underneath the river, despite the risk that creates for the tribe and for millions of others who rely on the Missouri for water.

As the tribal spokespeople remind us, oil pipelines break, spill and leak—it’s not a question of if, it’s a question of where and when. In fact, a route close to Bismarck was deemed not viable due to its proximity to Bismarck. The Army Corps of Engineers never took a hard look at the impacts of an oil spill on the Tribe, as the law requires. Instead, now the pipeline is set to run through land that is sacred to the Tribe. Federal law requires that sacred places be protected in consultation with the Tribe, but the Corps has not complied with that requirement, either.

What is incredibly inspiring is that thousands of people have rallied to stand in solidarity with the Tribe.  In August, 10,000 people joined in prayers with the elders from the Seven Council Fires of the Great Sioux Nation.  People continue to gather in peace and prayer. Representatives from over 300 Indigenous nations have offered support, along with faith leaders, Amnesty International, and the United Nations. I am happy to say that my Unitarian Universalist colleagues and I are among those supporters.  I sent a letter that was signed by 100 UU faith leaders.  Following that Rev. Peter Morales and the UU Service Committee also issued statements of support. I thought you might like to know about my letter:

Mr. David Archambault II, Chairman, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Building 1, N. Standing Rock Avenue, P.O. Box D, Fort Yates, ND 58538August 29, 2016Dear Chairman Archambault,We write as Unitarian Universalist faith leaders to let you know that our prayers and support are with you in your courageous actions against the Dakota Access Pipeline.  We understand that the pipeline will cross treaty lands, burial grounds, and the Missouri River, the water source for the tribe as well as for millions of others.  We are appalled that this project was approved and construction begun without any meaningful consultation with the tribe, counter to federal law and treaty obligations. We support you in your effort to protect your sacred land and water, as well as to create a future for all of our grandchildren.We speak as people of faith whose principles call us to respect the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.  In these times, when the well-being of our entire ecosystem is threatened, we honor the leadership of Indigenous peoples who are showing us a path toward creating a more beneficial relationship to the earth and all beings of the earth.We are writing to you to offer our support, and to let you know that we are also contacting our government officials to call on them to follow treaty and federal law obligations, and to protect the water which is so utterly necessary for all life on earth.Sincerely… Rev. Myke Johnson (and signed by 99 other Unitarian Universalist leaders)