Pipeline Company Attacks Protectors and Destroys Sacred Sites
by Benita Moore
In a shocking development on Saturday, contractors working for the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) destroyed sites of sacred and cultural significance, despite the presence of protectors trying to prevent the destruction. Footage shows that pipeline security violently attacked the protectors and their horses.
The area destroyed is located just north of the Standing Rock reservation in North Dakota, approximately 15 miles from the current construction site of the pipeline. The area had been designated as sacred and of cultural significance in an amended update to federal documents, which were filed just the day before.
The sudden 15-mile jump in construction, on a weekend and away from the previous construction sites, raises questions about the company’s actions and the timing of the destruction, especially considering the locations were identified in those federal documents. This destruction and attacks on protectors have sparked widespread condemnation from native tribes and their supporters.
Destruction of Sacred Sites
Tim Mentz, a former Standing Rock Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, has documented the damage caused by DAPL contractors on private property. Mentz’s team identified 82 stone features and archaeological sites, including at least 27 burials, that were destroyed by the company’s actions.
This incident is just the latest chapter in the ongoing resistance against the DAPL, which began on April 1st, 2016, when the Sacred Stone Camp was established on the banks of the Cannonball and Missouri rivers.
The response from DAPL was brutal and inhumane, as protectors, including tribal members and allies, were met with violence when they tried to stop the destruction of ancestral graves and other sites of cultural significance. Security personnel hired by the pipeline company set attack dogs on the protectors and assaulted them with pepper spray.
Dog Attacks
September 3rd, 2016 will forever be remembered as Dog Day. The day that contractors working for DAPL unleashed attack dogs on protectors, including tribal members and allies, who were trying to stop the destruction of sacred sites and cultural artifacts.
Sarah Ortegon, a member of the Shoshone/Arapaho tribe and former Miss Native America (13/14), described the incident as “disgraceful” and said that it had changed her life, deepening her mistrust of the government and money.
Randez Baily, the Director of the Standing Rock tribe’s water systems, expressed shock and anger that the dogs were attacking horses, which have a deep cultural significance to the Oceti Sakowin.
Back at the camp, the mood was one of shock and disbelief, as protectors returned with various injuries. Camp medics worked to patch everyone up, but the greater cost will be the emotional and psychological injuries that cannot be seen. These events have brought the reality of the situation into stark contrast and the resolve of the protectors and the public’s response to these events will be important in this ongoing and developing moment in history. A story that is being written in real-time, and one that doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon.
