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On National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Day
Indigenous Organizers Hold Action at KXL Route in Montana
Photos from the action can be found here
May 7th, 2020 (Northern Montana)-Fort Peck Assiniboine Sioux frontline organization Kokipansi held a non-violent protest on May 5th, 2020 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Awareness Day at the Keystone XL pipeline construction site at the Montana/Canadian border. The Fort Peck Tribe has been outspoken against TC Energy’s Keystone XL pipeline building two pipeline man camps located on each side of the tribal nation bringing an increased risk of human trafficking to the community. Data collection has begun to show what Indigenous peoples have long said, pipeline man camps bring increased human trafficking and violence to nearby Indigenous communities.
“We are here today to bring awareness to the man camps that put Indigenous youth like myself and my friends in danger. I have been chased by oil workers and the KXL pipeline man camps outside Fort Peck bring increased violence to my home.” said Prairiedawn Thunderkid-Blacklance Kokipansi Indigenous Youth Organizer.
Fort Peck has been one of the many tribal nations of Oceti Sakowin who have fought TC Energy’s (formerly TransCanada) Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline for a decade. In 2015, then-President Obama rejected the pipeline but Trump has continuously skirted the law to push the pipeline through. If built, this dirty tar sands project will run through the tribal nation’s only fresh water sources, the Milk and Missouri Rivers, and put at high risk the tribe’s new $300M water treatment plant.
“Kokipansi is honoring our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples.” said Angeline Cheek, Kokipansi organizer We will continue to stand against the KXL pipeline because we know the man camps TC Energy is building near our tribal lands without our consent will bring violence to not just our land but also our people.”
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Established in 1990, The Indigenous Environmental Network is an international environmental justice nonprofit that works with tribal grassroots organizations to build the capacity of Indigenous communities. IEN’s activities include empowering Indigenous communities and tribal governments to develop mechanisms to protect our sacred sites, land, water, air, natural resources, the health of both our people and all living things, and to build economically sustainable communities.
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