I've been reading the transcript version of the Sioux Nation's 1868 Treaty with the United States and I can't find one part that says the government or money-hungry private industry should expect access to Sioux land to carve a huge path through the land for a stupid pipeline.
See this link for interesting reading … the original hand-written versions are a little faded and difficult to read, so I opted to download the transcript version - other than a couple typos it shows the acceptance of all rules by both sides, even though the Sioux were being driven into a reservation situation, the treaty was to stop a war … and they were expected to become farmers and learn to live like us, even though they were hunters …
www.ourdocuments.gov/...
This Treaty shows the border of their land, which interestingly includes their sacred lands of the Black Hills … here is where I start to see things about the Pipeline that look just like what happened many years ago …
There was gold found in the Black Hills, miners began sneaking in and cutting into that sacred place without permission, getting clobbered by the Indians as they should have …
The miners asked the government for troops to protect them from the owners of the land … a certain idiot by the name of Custer used his troops to escort them into and out of the mining areas … this was in 1877 … this was a totally illegal call against the Treaty of 1868.
Custer had one of his stupid ideas that he should attack a big group of Indians in their camp … we all know what happened then, as Custer and his men were eliminated … but what most of us do NOT know as we have always been taught how awful it was that the Indians should do such a thing, they were in the right all along as the miners and troops were on the Indian land, and the Treaty made mention that it was totally the Sioux Nation's and they had control of roads in and out.
Any access was to be approved by a large group of the Sioux Nation members. None of that happened, the intrusion was totally wrong, but big money and profit taker's greed directed the United States' government to seize the Black Hills from the Sioux Nation … how awful was that? Now, the pipeline is trying, with huge dig-outs to cross their land without permission from the Tribes, and they are digging right through sacred burial lands.
The US Government has NOT given the Black Hills back YET … you can see what the Standing Rock Sioux are up against … the Pipeline is driven by huge amounts of money, everyone is on the take, the State Police in riot gear are posted to protect the pipeline Not the unarmed peaceful protesters. Now, they are going to bring in the guard as well, a new Custer situation for sure.
The pipeline company hired goons to mess with the protesters, spraying pepper spray in their faces, using untrained dogs and handlers as intimidation, a dog broke free and attacked men, women and children, even a horse …
We need to back these people in defense of their land and ours as well … the pipeline is wrong in so many ways … there is evidence the North Dakota source wells have already peaked and have dropped 25% of their former production over the last year and a half. Also, the damage possibilities of a burst pipeline are immense, the leaking gas line on the East coast is an example of the durability of pipelines.