The Dakota Access Pipeline

Despite significant opposition and legal challenges, the Dakota Access Pipeline remains in operation, even though it has been deemed illegal by many advocates and experts. This pipeline has been at the center of controversy due to its potential environmental impacts on sacred lands and water supplies. The pipeline violates Fort Laramie 1851 treaty on the Oceti Sakowin lands, known as the “Great Sioux Nation” home of the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota peoples and has been protested by people across Turtle Island. Despite these concerns, the company Energy Transfers Partners, responsible for the pipeline, has continued to ignore these objections and operate the pipeline anyway. We must continue to shine a light on the actions of these companies and hold them accountable for any harm they cause. The fight to protect our environment and respect Indigenous sovereignty is far from over, and we must remain vigilant in our efforts to ensure that justice is served.

The Fight Against Enbridge

Enbridge has faced significant backlash from Indigenous communities over their operation of the Line 3 and Line 5 pipelines despite continued protests and objections by Indigenous communities and climate activists. Enbridge continues to operate the Line 5 pipeline in defiance of a state order to cease operations without a valid lease to submerged lands for the project. These pipelines, which span across multiple states and provinces in Annishaabe territory, transport billions of gallons of crude oil and natural gas liquids to refineries in the United States and Canada.
The potential for environmental damage remains a large concern for indigenous communities and climate activists. Concerns over Indigenous sovereignty and treaty rights affecting their way of life, the water supply, wildlife, traditional wild rice harvests and air quality remain. Despite this, Enbridge has continued to operate its pipelines. The company has faced numerous legal battles and challenges in recent years, as well as protests and acts of civil disobedience from affected communities. Critics argue that Enbridge must be held accountable for the impact of their operations on the environment and Indigenous people, and alternative energy solutions must be pursued to address the urgent need for sustainable energy practices.

Credit Honor the Earth for the footage.

The Mountain Valley Pipeline

The Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) is a highly controversial and much-debated project. The pipeline will stretch over 300 miles, starting from Mobley, West Virginia and ending in Chatham, Virginia, with an additional 75-mile MVP Southgate Extension further into North Carolina. Although the pipeline has already been constructed more than 50%, it continues to be in the center of heated debates and ongoing legal challenges from different parties. Many of the landowners along the pipeline’s proposed route and environmental organizations have rigorously opposed the pipeline, citing its potential to endanger the environment and destroy the livelihoods of communities in its path. The continued legal challenges have even resulted in multiple construction halts on several occasions, and the movement against it continues to gain traction as grassroots resistance increases.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

The issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women is a widespread and ongoing concern that has affected far too many families and communities. Indigenous women face a disproportionate level of violence and are more likely to become victims of crime than non-Indigenous women. The issue of MMIW is not new and has been acknowledged and addressed by many organizations and individuals, but it continues to persist. It is critical that we continue to raise awareness about this issue, not just in Canada but across the globe, and work together to find solutions that can help end this crisis. Indigenous women deserve to feel safe and free from harm, and we must take steps to ensure that their fundamental human rights are respected and upheld. It is up to all of us to show our support for this cause and demand that action be taken to prevent any further losses.

The Commitment To Nonviolence

Joye, who was deeply committed to bringing about social and political change through peaceful means, dedicated herself to the principles of Nonviolent Direct Action (NVDA). She firmly believed that peaceful protests, sit-ins, and other forms of civil disobedience were powerful tools for promoting awareness of environmental and racial injustices and inspiring change in our society. Joye understood that NVDA could allow people to address societal issues without resorting to violence or aggression. Her steadfast belief in the power of NVDA empowered her to engage in many peaceful demonstrations, and she was successful in inspiring others to incorporate these principles into their activism. Joye’s message was not only about peaceful means of bringing about change; she also recognized the crucial importance of prayer in the face of increasing violence and oppression. Through tradition and sacred knowledge, we can enact real change to improve and protect the lives of our children and grandchildren and protect the generations to come.

What We Do Going Forward

There are still many challenges we will face as indigenous peoples and our allies going forward. The colonial mechanisms that continue to threaten our way of life remain present and it is our traditions that sacred knowledge that will carry us forward in our fight to protect our people and our homelands. This is something that Joye wholeheartedly believed and she made it her duty to raise awareness to the issues that plague our communities whether it be climate change, racism, violence, systematic oppression, indigenous sovereignty, or simply respect compassion and love. It is up to each of us to choose how we use our voices. So let your voice be heard! MNI WICONI!

Call To Action

Click the button below to be directed to some of our Allies and learn more about some of the causes Joye supported in life and that we continue to support.

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