Haida Nation Supports Standing Rock DAPL Protest with Funds, Personnel

The Council of the Haida Nation is providing financial and physical support to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) in southern North Dakota, according to a CBC News report. The Indigenous group from Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, sent "several thousand dollars" for the Sioux's legal defense fund and has members, including a business owner and her children, participating in the protest camp.

Erica Ryan-Gagne, a Haida business owner, drove 30 hours from northern B.C. to join the protests, bringing her two young children. She stated her actions are part of a broader fight against energy infrastructure projects. "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," Ryan-Gagne said, according to the report.

The Dakota Access Pipeline is a critical piece of infrastructure for the Bakken formation. The $3.8 billion project, led by Energy Transfer Partners with a $1.5 billion investment from Enbridge, is designed to transport light sweet crude oil from the Bakken oilfield to Illinois. Its route passes near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, which has been the focal point of sustained opposition since 2016.

The protest activity described in the source report remains volatile. The report notes equipment vandalism, the use of pepper spray and dogs by security guards against protesters, and the deployment of the National Guard. Ryan-Gagne describes herself as a peaceful protester, bringing traditional songs and prayers to the camp.

The involvement of an international Indigenous group underscores the high-profile and persistent nature of the opposition facing the pipeline, which is a key outlet for Bakken crude. Continued protests and legal challenges represent an ongoing operational and public relations consideration for the pipeline's operators and the shippers, including Bakken producers, who rely on it for transport.

The report, originally published in September 2016 and updated in June 2026, indicates that support for the protest movement continues nearly a decade after the pipeline's initial construction controversy. For North Dakota, the situation highlights the enduring environmental and tribal sovereignty concerns associated with major energy infrastructure crossing sensitive areas.