The Dakota Access Pipeline isnt just about the environment. Its about religion.
By Sarah Pulliam Bailey
December 5 at 7:00 AM
Activists fighting to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota welcomed new developments Sunday after the Army said Sunday that it will not approve an easement. Protesters saw the announcement as a key victory for Native American tribes and others who have flocked in recent months to protest the oil pipeline, which tribal leaders say it threatens lands and artifacts they consider to be sacred.
Energy Transfer Partners, the pipeline’s developer, says it will create thousands of construction jobs and millions in tax revenue, and Donald Trump has vowed to support pipelines like this one. To the pipeline’s opponents, however, the pipeline runs within a half-mile of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, and the tribe’s leaders argue that it threatens the drinking water for local Native Americans.
The latest wave of activism surrounding the pipeline has brought a diverse range of groups together, including representatives from religious communities such as the United Methodist Church and the Nation of Islam, who have visited the camps or spoken out against the pipeline project. Many activists have framed the issue as an environmental issue, but some observers highlight the importance of Native Americans and how they understand their religion and the land.
Religion to many Native tribes is very land-based, said Stephen Pevar, an attorney for the ACLU and has specialized in Indian and tribal rights cases. Many Americans move several times throughout their lifetime, making it difficult for some to understand how crucial land is to Native spirituality, he said. Native Americans have a bond to the land and nearly every tribe has its own sacred lands.
More:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/12/05/the-dakota-access-pipeline-isnt-just-about-the-environment-its-about-religion/?utm_term=.55201d2e07c6
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