Haida Nation Sends Funds, Protesters to North Dakota DAPL Site
Indigenous group from British Columbia provides financial and symbolic support to Standing Rock Sioux, highlighting ongoing pipeline opposition.
The Council of the Haida Nation from British Columbia is providing financial support and personnel to the protest camps opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) in southern North Dakota, according to a CBC News report. The report details that Haida business owner Erica Ryan-Gagne drove 30 hours from Haida Gwaii, B.C., with her two children to join the Standing Rock demonstrations.
Ryan-Gagne stated that the fight against DAPL is connected to pipeline battles in British Columbia. "Whether it's Lelu Island, Flora Banks, a liquified natural gas plant proposed at the mouth of the Skeena [River], Enbridge Northern Gateway or the Dakota Access pipeline, it's all connected. It's all big oil," she said. The Council of the Haida Nation supports her trip and sent several thousand dollars for the Sioux Nation's legal defense fund.
The Dakota Access Pipeline is a $3.8 billion project designed to transport light sweet crude oil from the Bakken formation to Illinois. Its route passes close to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Enbridge is investing $1.5 billion to be part of the project, the report notes.
The protest has seen volatile moments, including equipment vandalism, the use of pepper spray and dogs by guards against protesters, and the deployment of the National Guard. Ryan-Gagne described herself as a peaceful protester, bringing traditional songs and prayers to the camp. "This is what I'm teaching my children," she said. "You don't talk about it. You do it. We've come so far. and we're standing with them."
The involvement of an international Indigenous group underscores the broad, symbolic resistance facing key Bakken oil infrastructure. For Bakken operators, the protest represents a continued point of contention and potential risk for a major crude oil export route from the region. The pipeline is a critical piece of infrastructure intended to move Bakken oil to market more efficiently.
The report illustrates how local infrastructure disputes can attract national and international attention, potentially complicating project timelines and operations. The movement of protesters and resources across the U.S.-Canada border to North Dakota highlights the interconnected nature of opposition to hydrocarbon transport projects.
Source
According to a CBC News report published September 15, 2016.
