With the new Senate taking their seats in Washington, and the House voting to put through the pipeline for the tenth time, Natives across America find themselves gearing up for another battle with the Keystone Pipeline project, pausing only long enough to feel thanks for President Obama's promise of another veto.
After a brief respite to prepare for the next wave, thanks to the last veto, organizations have begun again with nationwide vigils and marches.
The Rosebud Sioux Reservation leaders, of South Dakota, have publicly spoken against the pipeline, denouncing it as “an act of war,” in spite of supposed financial 'benefits' they would incur by allowing it to pass through their lands.
"Historically, the lives of the First Nation people have been exterminated at the name of 'progress and development,' yet this is not a historical battle, and Native people are not historical beings. This is a present day battle that needs to be taken seriously, as it affects not only the Native communities, but the future of everyone!" - John Jairo - Valencia, CA - Native American Studies student - University of California, Berkeley.
Here in the South West, several of the strongest indigenous organizations in Southern California have come together under one banner in a demonstration of solidarity to
rally against
WorleyParsons, a local contractor who has been hired by Transcanada for the KXL project, planned for the evening of Wednesday, January 14th in Arcadia, CA.
"We all need clean air, water and land - no matter where you live or how you live. Period." Lydia Ponce - Idle No More Los Angeles "It's the seven generations forward -globally- this must be our common priority, our common goal."
Calling themselves the SoCal War Council, these groups bring their organizations' talents to the table in a Coalition "united in solidarity for the betterment of Indigenous peoples across the nation and citizens of Southern California". So far, this coalition includes AIM OC, ChiCCCAA, Harmony Keepers, Idle No More LA, Indigenous D.R.U.M., Sierra Club and AIM SoCal.
No matter how you cut it, Tar Sands oil is some of the dirtiest oil in the world. When these pipelines leak, TransCanada is not responsible for their spills. It is our homes, our lands and our money going to repair the damages which can never be truly repaired. It is our lives and livelihoods on the line, as individuals and as a nation, to line the pockets of politicians and TransCanada. So ask yourself, isn't your life and the lives of your family worth so much more than roughly 30 permanent jobs and the destruction of our ecosystem?
Danielle Adams is a Native Journalist with over a decade in the field, and a proud board member of the AIM OC support group to AIM SoCal.