Standing Up for Clean Water

    Tokata Iron Eyes grew up near the Missouri River. As a kid, she rode her bike to the river. She and her friends swam there in the summer.

    In the spring of 2016, Tokata learned that the river might be in danger. A company was going to build a pipeline under it. The pipe would carry oil. The oil would flow   from North Dakota to cities in the Midwest. The pipeline would be called the Dakota Access Pipeline. 

    Tokata lives on the Standing Rock Reservation. The pipeline would be near her home. It would cross land that is sacred to the Sioux [soo] Nation. The Sioux Nation is Tokata’s tribe.

    The tribe also worried about their water supply. An oil leak could ruin their drinking water. Millions of people in other communities use the water too. Tokata was only 12 then. But she chose to fight against the pipeline. 

    Tokata Iron Eyes grew up with the Missouri River. She and her friends rode their bikes to the river’s shore when they were kids. On summer days, they swam.

    Then, in the spring of 2016, Tokata learned that the river might be in danger. Plans were moving forward to build an oil pipeline under the water. The pipeline would transport 20 million gallons of oil a day from North Dakota to the cities of the Midwest. 

    The planned route for the pipeline—called the Dakota Access Pipeline—ran just half a mile from Tokata’s home on the Standing Rock Reservation. The plans had the pipeline crossing land that Tokata’s tribe—the Sioux [soo] Nation—consider sacred.

    Furthermore, the pipeline put their water supply in danger. An oil leak could ruin the drinking water for Tokata’s community and millions of other people. Tokata was only 12 at the time, but the situation worried her. Fortunately, she got a chance to fight back. 

    Native people have been fighting for centuries to protect their way of life. In the early 1800s, all the land around the Missouri River belonged to Native Americans. Then white people began moving west. They forced Native Americans off their land—often by using violence. Farmers wanted land to grow crops. Miners came to dig for gold.

    Native Americans fought for their land. But the U.S. Army forced them to give in. The government pushed Native groups onto reservations. Standing Rock was one of them. On the reservations, people no longer had land to hunt on. Children went to government-run boarding schools. They were forced to speak English.

    Tokata’s parents taught her this history when she was young. The pipeline, she says, is part of that history. It threatens Native land. And yet, Native people weren’t a part of the decision to build it. “You have to understand the history to understand what’s happening now,” she says.

    Native people have long fought to protect their way of life. In the early 1800s, the land around the Missouri River belonged to Native Americans. Then white people began moving west. White farmers wanted land to grow crops. Miners wanted to dig for gold. They forced Native people off their land. 

    Native Americans fought back. But the U.S. Army was more powerful. The government forced Native groups onto reservations. Standing Rock was one of them. On the reservations, there was no land to hunt on. Children went to schools run by the U.S. government. They had to speak English.

    Tokata says the pipeline is part of that history. It threatens Native land. But Native people weren’t part of the planning. The pipeline was forced on them.

    For centuries, Native people have been fighting to protect their way of life. In the early 1800s, all the land around the Missouri River belonged to Native Americans—but then white people began moving west. Farmers wanted land to grow crops, and miners came to dig for gold. They forced Native Americans off their land, often by using violence. 

    Native Americans fought for their land, but the U.S. Army forced them to give in. The government pushed Native groups onto reservations, such as Standing Rock. On the reservations, people no longer had land to hunt on. And children went to government-run boarding schools where they were forced to speak English.

    Tokata was taught this history by her parents when she was young. The pipeline is part of that history, she says. It threatens Native land, yet Native people weren’t involved in the decision to build it. “You have to understand the history to understand what’s happening now,” she says.