On March 10, thousands of indigenous people from across the U.S. gathered in Washington, D.C. for the Native Nations Rise march and rally. The action was preceded by two days of prayer and ceremony on the National Mall. The march route went past the Trump International Hotel, where some participants had erected a tipi and a group of women did a circle dance. The event began as rain turned to snow and then back to rain, which was described as “Mother Earth doing exactly what she’s supposed to be doing” by a representative of the Piscataway Nation who welcomed everyone to her homeland.
The days of protest and prayer were organized by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, which continues to fight the Dakota Access Pipeline, as well as the Indigenous Environmental Network and the Native Organizers Alliance. Participants carried banners opposing the Dakota Access pipeline, as well as signs calling for native consent, not just consultation, for invasive projects on their lands. Following an executive order from Donald Trump, the Dakota Access pipeline is now proceeding to completion under the Missouri River, but the tribe is still engaged in court to fight it.
One of the speakers at a rally across from the White House was JoDe Goudy, chairman of the Yakama Nation in Washington state. He read from a proclamation signed by the Yakima and the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, which opposes what it calls the Doctrine of Christian Discovery, that justifies the invasion and exploitation of native lands and peoples.
For more information, visit Native Nations Rise at nativenationsrise.org; Native Nations Rise on Facebook at facebook.com/events/1613602328655390.
Related Links:
- “Native Nations Rise March: A Powerful, Emotional Uprising for Indigenous Rights,” Indian Country Media Network, March 12, 2017
- “Native Nations Rise March: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” Indian Country Media Network, March 13, 2017
- “Native Nations Rise: Indigenous Peoples and Allies March on Washington, D.C.,” Rewire, March 14, 2017
- “Slideshow: ‘Rise with Standing Rock’ Native Nations march on Denver,” Colorado Independent, March 12, 2017
- “Native Nations Rise on D.C. and Beyond,” 350.org, March 13, 2017
- “Native Nations Rise Brings DAPL Protest to Washington,” Al Jazeera, March 11, 2017
- “‘We Haven’t Lost…We Have Awakened’: Indigenous Nations March on the White House,” Think Progress, March 10, 2017
- “‘We Exist, We Resist, We Rise’: Thousands March for Native Nations,” Common Dreams, March 10, 2017
- “Standing Rock Lives On: My Experience at the Native Nations Rise March in DC,” Truthout, March 14, 2017