Native activist highlights treaty oversight in pipeline trial

In a recent trial about the Dakota Access Pipeline, a Native American activist emphasizes the overlooked treaty rights amidst legal proceedings, as tensions between tribal sovereignty and federal actions come to light.

Mary Steurer reports for the North Dakota Monitor.

In short:

• Chase Iron Eyes, an attorney and Indigenous rights advocate, testified that the U.S. justice system fails to recognize treaty law, underlying the Dakota Access Pipeline protests.
• The trial focuses on the federal government's handling of protests, with North Dakota alleging that federal actions intensified the situation, costing the state millions.
• Key issues include the legitimacy of the land occupation based on an 1851 treaty, with Iron Eyes advocating for the recognition of tribal sovereignty.

Key quote:

"We signed a treaty with the Americans and we didn’t forget. Some people act like it’s ancient history, but we didn’t forget."

— Chase Iron Eyes, director of the Lakota People’s Law Project

Why this matters:

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, whose reservation is downstream from the pipeline's crossing under the Missouri River, argue that DAPL poses a grave threat to their water supply, sacred lands, and treaty rights. The pipeline's route, which was rerouted from upstream of Bismarck, North Dakota, to closer proximity to the Standing Rock reservation, underscored for many a history of imposing environmental risks on Indigenous and marginalized communities.