Our History Is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance

Founded by a group of Ojibwes, AIM originally focused on developing community programs and alternative education for Indigenous youth. AIM grew exponentially, leading to many monumental protests, including a protest of the illegal seizure of the Black Hills to build Mount Rushmore.

Formed by Indigenous women from AIM, this coalition of Indigenous activists and white ranchers sought to stop dangerous mining in the Black Hills.

In the context of this book, border towns are white setter communities on the outskirts of reservation land. These communities have a history of anti-Indigenous violence, especially toward women.

This 1,172-mile oil pipeline began in North Dakota and ended in Illinois, traveling through reservation and unceded territory outlined in the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty. The Oceti Sakowin protested the pipeline through the #NoDAPL movement for its failure to comply with the treaty and for the adverse effects it would have on the climate and the natural aspects of the Missouri River and surrounding communities.

This term refers to the appropriation of lands by the government for public use. Eminent domain assures compensation for the land appropriated.

This important part of Indigenous culture was originated by Paiute prophet Wovoka, who imagined a life without the oppression of colonialism. The US government outlawed the Ghost Dance, and the ensuing conflict culminated in the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890.

Organized by the Army Corps of Engineers, this project stretched from Canada through South Dakota in unceded territory outlined in the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty. President Obama terminated the Keystone XL Pipeline project, but President Trump later reinstated it, and it was a precursor to the Dakota Access Pipeline.

A term for the Missouri River, Mni Sose translates as “roiling water.” It reflects the river’s autonomy and its place as a nonhuman relative.

Mni Wiconi means “water is life.” The word “mni” translates as “water,” but the “mi” and “ni” also translate as “I” and “being.” It exemplifies the Indigenous peoples’ view of nonhuman life as a relative.

“Oceti” translates as “Council Fire.” The Oceti Sakowin, or Council of the Seven Fires, is often referred to by white settlers as the Great Sioux Nation.

The Army Corps of Engineers oversaw this dam-building project along the Missouri River. Using eminent domain to justify the project, the Army Corps bypassed treaty regulations outlined in the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty.

In 1972, a caravan of Indigenous resisters traveled to Washington, DC to occupy the Bureau of Indian Affairs headquarters. There, The Trail of Broken Treaties confronted US legislators over the failure to fulfill treaty rights.

This umbrella term encompasses gender nonconforming or gender-variant peoples within Indigenous nations. Two-Spirit individuals historically played an important role in Indigenous culture and decision-making.

Land that Indigenous peoples never signed away or ceded is referred to as “unceded territory.” For example, the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 recognized unceded land and determined that white settlers would require consent from the Oceti Sakowin for use of the land.