Coats, gas masks, goggles, hand warmers, ear protection against sonic cannons, several hundred pounds of food – it seems a great pile on top of Chris Balch’s kitchen table, but he knows it will only fill a fraction of the need for those still standing in the bitter North Dakota cold, protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline.
“I kind of thought this situation would be over by now,” reflected Balch, sitting in his Wilton home, wearing a black T-shirt proclaiming “I stand with Standing Rock.”
“It just seemed so outrageous,” he said.
The Dakota Access Pipeline, or DAPL, currently under construction, runs from the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota, crossing beneath the Missouri and Mississippi rivers as well as Lake Oahe near the Standing Rock Reservation. The pipeline was rerouted through the area from a proposed line through Bismark – mainly due to the route’s proximity to municipal water sources. And the pipeline uses the Nationwide Permit 12 process, which defines the pipeline construction as a series of small construction sites, granting it exemption from environmental reviews which would have otherwise been required by the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
Protests have gone on in the pipeline’s path since its inception, but the movement rose to prominence abruptly in September, when YouTube videos of protestors – who call themselves “water protectors” – were injured by attack dogs used by security workers during a protest. Over the course of the protests, more than 400 people have been arrested. Many have been pepper-sprayed, attacked by dogs, sprayed with water cannons, or hit by teargas, rubber bullets or concussion grenades.
On Friday, Balch heads to North Dakota, part of a delegation of more than 2,000 veterans, and plans to spend about five days standing on the front lines of the protest in support, in addition to bringing in supplies he purchased through donations made to a Go Fund Me page.
It’s that kind of nationwide support that makes the DAPL fight stand out, said former Green Party Vice-President nominee and founder of the indigenous organization Honor the Earth Winona LaDuke, during a visit to Peterborough to speak at the opening of the Mariposa Museum’s new exhibit, “Art of Indigenous Resistance.”
“It’s a remarkable moment in time,” said LaDuke. “You and I know it’s a moment in history. Everyone understands the significance of this.”
LaDuke’s organization has been involved in the DAPL fight since April, and about half of the Honor the Earth staff remains there, she said.
“It’s moving being out there,” she said. But not without dangers to those that are protesting.
“I’ve had my tires slashed. I’ve had nieces and nephews be arrested. They’ve arrested over 500 people. One of the Tribal council elders, he and his wife were arrested and held nine hours in a dog kennel,” said LaDuke.
Balch said he’s aware of the risks. “I’m worried about being shot by rubber bullets. That kind of thing doesn’t sound fun,” he said. “But the government is not supporting its people in this case. It’s up to us, the people, to support the people of Standing Rock.”
It may not be easy to get supplies to those that need them, said Balch, especially as state officials are cracking down on protestors. Gov. Jack Dalrymple has issued an emergency evacuation order on the camps due to incoming snowy weather, and state officials are threatening fines of up to $1,000 for people trying to bring in supplies. But he doubts that will stop the lines of support – perhaps just make it more expensive.
“I have a backpack, and if I have to, I’ll make several trips and hike it in,” he said.
Kim Smith, the curator of the Mariposa exhibit and a member of the Dine nation, said the DAPL fight is one instance of a long list of injustices against indigenous populations.
“People of color are always sacrificed first when it comes to energy development,” said Smith. “We are living in wastelands so that people can have water and electricity. Politicians talk about justice and human rights, but that doesn’t seem to apply to the indigenous population.”
Smith said the intent of the Mariposa exhibit is to highlight these struggles, as well as the addiction of Western society to consumption, and the impact that consumption has on communities of color. The exhibit unveils several pieces of art across multiple mediums that show the indigenous struggle, including a section devoted to the DAPL fight.
“This is the reality of being indigenous in 2016,” said Smith. “Art is a means, a tool and a vehicle that allows us to heal as well as to project our voices.”
The Mariposa exhibit opened on Wednesday and will be up through Feb. 26.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.