• About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • Professor Phillip Levine Discusses “A Problem of Fit”
      Professor Phillip Levine Discusses “A Problem of Fit”
    • CS Department shifts CS 111 course structure
      CS Department shifts CS 111 course structure
    • WAMI and WRJ host discussion on criminalization of abortion
      WAMI and WRJ host discussion on criminalization of abortion
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • Why Art Basel is partially responsible for Miami’s gentrification
      Why Art Basel is partially responsible for Miami’s gentrification
    • It’s time to put traditional grading to the test
      It’s time to put traditional grading to the test
    • What can the fall of Z-library teach us about textbook accessibility?
      What can the fall of Z-library teach us about textbook accessibility?
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • No image
      Pentimento’s Open Mic is Like an Old Patchwork Quilt–Worn, Yet Cozy
    • No image
      Kanye’s Antisemitism Steps on his Shoe Brand
    • Lousy Realities: Luca Guadagnino (2015)
      Lousy Realities: Luca Guadagnino (2015)
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
    • Books Before Boys
  • Sports and Wellness
    • Student-Athlete of October
      Student-Athlete of October
    • Athletics Update Oct. 19, 2022
      Athletics Update Oct. 19, 2022
    • The Case for Body Neutrality
      The Case for Body Neutrality
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Top 10 Girlbosses who aren’t alumnae, but I would totally believe you if you told me they were
      Top 10 Girlbosses who aren’t alumnae, but I would totally believe you if you told me they were
    • Wendy Wellesley’s Thanksgiving Menu
      Wendy Wellesley’s Thanksgiving Menu
    • The Snooze Awards for the Best Tanners of 2022
      The Snooze Awards for the Best Tanners of 2022
  • Miscellanea
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
      Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
    • 50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
      50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Tabitha Wilson OpinionsSeptember 28, 2016

Native American culture threatened in the face of corporation expansion and Pipeline Protests

Photo courtesy of it'sgoingdown.org

Once again, the United States failed to recognize the sovereignty of Native Americans, along with the legitimacy of other pressing issues facing their community. The Dakota Access Pipeline is just another example of the U.S. government, along with interested corporations, trying to encroach on Native land, which could severely impact Native American culture and well-being. American history is full of battles against Native Americans, who were devastated by the land cessions that followed. Over time, Native land was ceded to opportunistic individuals seeking it, and, eventually, added to the ever-expanding country of the United States. Legislation such as the Dawes Act exacerbated to the loss of millions of acres for Natives. Eventually, Native Americans were enclosed and often displaced into reservations, which had only a small fraction of Natives’ original land. Even with the diminution of Native lands, it seems that not enough profit can be squeezed out of the lands and the people themselves.

Some argue that by building the pipeline, the U.S. government will be helping further develop the reservations. Before pressing ideas of development that may cause damage to an already weakened community, the government should first address more pressing health concerns within Native American community, specifically the two major crises of suicide and addiction. The suicide rate for Native Americans and Alaska Natives is an astounding 34.3 percent the highest of any ethnic group, and a rate several times higher than the general population. The federal government does partner with tribal leaders to make education available for suicide prevention. However, the Indian Health Service, a federal institution, notes that prevention can be found in “strong tribal/spiritual bond[s],” something that could be at risk following the development of sacred land.

While development may exacerbate damage, these invasions must also be viewed from a Native perspective. We quantize land in acres, not in the deep ties that often accompany sacred terrains. In so many ways, Native land is Native culture, and any actor trying to take that land is thus taking Native American culture. Different folklore rituals, customs and traditions are based on the land that a tribe resides on. Being part Cherokee, I knew from a young age how important things such as corn and deer were. If, one day, the deer were to suddenly disappear, the culture of the Cherokee would change as well and a vast portion of our rich culture would be lost. Deer hunts help organize the community around activities, such as preparing for the hunt or tending to the freshly hunted deer. Good hunts ensure celebrations, and less successful ones demand resourcefulness. The year can be planned around deer mating and hunting seasons, as well as crops grown on the land. The land that the proposed pipeline would cover is not only worth protecting because of the legal technicality of tribal sovereignty, but also because the land itself is an integral part of Native culture that has been targeted for centuries. The creation of the pipeline would change the ecosystem central to Native American culture.

Native Americans have the right to be environmentalists and to protect the landscape on which they live. If they wish to conserve their lands and leave them untouched, so be it; we wouldn’t build upon Yellowstone or another national monument. If the government wishes to develop on Native land, it must do so with the permission of the community and only after having established  good rapport with the community. The continual undermining of Native American lands and culture perpetuates the system in which the epidemics faced by the tribes continues. Not only does the Dakota Access Pipeline infringe upon the rights of Native Americans, it disrespects the land on which they live.

Photo courtesy of it’sgoingdown.org

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleRecast stress as a motivator
Next articleFederal bodies should support transgender healthcare in prisons

You may also like

Why Art Basel is partially responsible for Miami’s gentrification

It’s time to put traditional grading to the test

Banner reading this website has been seized over images of a book shelf

What can the fall of Z-library teach us about textbook accessibility?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

Sorry. No data so far.

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2023 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top