People from more than 300 tribes traveled to the North Dakota plains to pray and march in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux. Back home, each tribe faces its own version of the 鈥渂lack snake鈥 and a centuries-old struggle to survive.
The drama and injustice on display at Standing Rock have taught a new generation of observers what Native Americans already know: Even today, theirs is a brutal fight to survive.
To protect vital wetlands, the Ojibwe tribe and local scientists and activists pressured industry to abandon plans for what would have harmed thousands of species of plants and animals.
Federal recognition offers financial help, and those tribes without it have 鈥渟econd-class status in Indian Country鈥 and remain vulnerable to local authorities.
The nation鈥檚 only state bank was created to empower small farmers and local economies, but now it鈥檚 being used to silence indigenous people with militarized force. How did this happen?
After 35 years of fighting for the cancellation of nearly 50 oil and gas leases, Montana's Blackfeet tribe scored an unexpected victory when Devon Energy voluntarily backed out of their claims.
When a governmental effort to encourage cash crops threatened their food security and native land, India鈥檚 indigenous families came together to revive their traditional food systems.
The whole pipeline fiasco was a more appropriate story for the 19th century instead of the 21st. Now, the timing is ideal for a new beginning: #HealNorthDakota
Although the governor cites the rule of law in his eviction order, the Sioux have this: the Constitution鈥檚 Article 6, declaring 鈥渢reaties as the Supreme Law of the Land.鈥