#sioux

[From NDN Collective:]

Dear Relative,

Your voice and help are needed to protect our sacred site. Pipestone National Monument is a special place where many Tribes harvest red pipestone, which is used for ceremony and prayer. This sacred site has a deep cultural significance to the Oceti Sakowin and many other Tribal Nations since time immemorial. Sovereign nations have the inherent right to make decisions about their ancestral homelands, which includes C’an O’he, now known as Pipestone National Monument.

Today, the Magellan Corporation/One OK’s proposed Reroute Pipeline Project is threatening Pipestone.

The Yankton Sioux Tribe and many other tribes have been fighting this project since 2023. Previously, the Yankton Sioux Tribe objected to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC’s) comparative environmental analysis and appealed the initial decision for a reroute of the Magellan Corporation’s proposed pipeline, which would run through Pipestone.

We need your help to protect this sacred site from destruction. Submit public comment today!

The public comment period is open to submit a comment in protection of Pipestone National Monument and to oppose the Magellan Pipeline. Initial comments are due June 22 at 4:30 PM CDT. Visit this website to learn a few tips on submitting a successful comment.

You may also submit your public comment via email: [email protected] using “Subject: Docket No. 23-109.”

Suggested comment (please add your own personalized edits):

“I oppose the Magellan Pipeline reroute permit. I support the No Build alternative. We need to protect the Pipestone National Monument and the sacred quarries. The current cultural survey is incomplete and unacceptable. Deny this permit.”

Facts to include:

The Topeka Shiner (an endangered protected species) lives in Pipestone 

The community has concerns about the contamination of water and land with the construction and possible rupture of a pipeline.

Joe Black Fox, a Sioux man

c. 1898

Some of the 24 Sioux chieftains, in full tribal regalia, who dropped into City Hall on November 18, 1932 to pay their respects to Mayor Joseph V. McKee. They had come east a month before from the Pine Ridge Indian Agency in South Dakota to visit Chief Two Moon Meredes at his home in Waterbury, Conn. Among them were six who took part in the battle at Little Bighorn, 57 years before, in which General Custer and a squadron of the 7th U.S. cavalry were wiped out.

Lakota woman, northwestern USA, ca. 1870-1890

"Cody Two Bears, a member of the Sioux tribe in North Dakota, founded Indigenized Energy, a native-led energy company with a unique mission — installing solar farms for tribal nations in the United States.

This initiative arises from the historical reliance of Native Americans on the U.S. government for power, a paradigm that is gradually shifting.

The spark for Two Bears' vision ignited during the Standing Rock protests in 2016, where he witnessed the arrest of a fellow protester during efforts to prevent the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline on sacred tribal land.

Disturbed by the status quo, Two Bears decided to channel his activism into action and create tangible change.

His company, Indigenized Energy, addresses a critical issue faced by many reservations: poverty and lack of access to basic power.

Reservations are among the poorest communities in the country, and in some, like the Navajo Nation, many homes lack electricity.

Even in regions where the land has been exploited for coal and uranium, residents face obstacles to accessing power.

Renewable energy, specifically solar power, is a beacon of hope for tribes seeking to overcome these challenges.

Not only does it present an environmentally sustainable option, but it has become the most cost-effective form of energy globally, thanks in part to incentives like the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

Tribal nations can receive tax subsidies of up to 30% for solar and wind farms, along with grants for electrification, climate resiliency, and energy generation.

And Indigenized Energy is not focused solely on installing solar farms — it also emphasizes community empowerment through education and skill development.

In collaboration with organizations like Red Cloud Renewable, efforts are underway to train Indigenous tribal members for jobs in the renewable energy sector.

The program provides free training to individuals, with a focus on solar installation skills.

Graduates, ranging from late teens to late 50s, receive pre-apprenticeship certification, and the organization is planning to launch additional programs to support graduates with career services such as resume building and interview coaching...

The adoption of solar power by Native communities signifies progress toward sustainable development, cultural preservation, and economic self-determination, contributing to a more equitable and environmentally conscious future.

These initiatives are part of a broader movement toward "energy sovereignty," wherein tribes strive to have control over their own power sources.

This movement represents not only an economic opportunity and a source of jobs for these communities but also a means of reclaiming control over their land and resources, signifying a departure from historical exploitation and an embrace of sustainable practices deeply rooted in Indigenous cultures."