Native Americans march on White House over Dakota pipeline
WASHINGTON: Native American groups staged a march to the White House Friday against the construction of a controversial oil pipeline, which they fear could desecrate tribal lands and threaten drinking water.
Chanting ‘water is life’ and shouting out tribal calls, a circle of dancers beat on drums in protest at the Dakota Access Pipeline, part of which runs through lands inhabited by the indigenous groups.
Slushy snow fell as more than 500 demonstrators marched through the capital before rallying in a park across from the White House, many wearing traditional dress and feathered headdresses and draped in colorful printed blankets.
“The government is violating our public right to clean water,” Sarah Jumping Eagle, 44, a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe, told AFP.
A physician, Jumping Eagle arrived in Washington late Thursday after making the long trek from North Dakota, where Native Americans and their supporters camped out for nearly a year, physically blocking construction at the site and drawing international attention.
She travelled to the capital with a group of fellow demonstrators to show her concern over the potential for oil spills and contamination from the nearlycompleted construction project.
“We know that we have to protect the water for future generations,” she said, the aroma of burning sage used for tribal prayers wafting through the chilly air.
“People are tired of the government not listening to us and not listening to the word of the people,” she added. — AFP