The Distance Yet to Be Covered

The United States Department of the Interior has made a recommendation to include the Oglala Sioux Tribe as partners in management of national parkland of the South Dakota Badlands, according to a story at the Native News Network. The land that is under consideration for this partnership is already contained within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The article comments that:
“In 2003, the Tribe formally requested government to government negotiations regarding management control of the South Unit, and the Park Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Tribe agreed to use the general management plan process to explore options for greater involvement in the South Unit.”

Certainly it would seem that tribal partnership in management of land that is already within the boundaries of the tribal nations is a step in the right direction. But there are peculiarities in this situation that bear considering in light of the international standards given in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

I cannot but help be struck by the paradox that this partnership of management is recommended for lands that are already within the boundaries of lands set aside to indigenous peoples. The land that remains for “reservations” is greatly shrunken from the boundaries that were originally granted under treaties between the United States government and indigenous groups. The government has found reason after reason to take possession of land that had been granted under treaties to indigenous groups. These reasons invariably have to do with the discovery of natural resources on land that had been hitherto thought to be worthless. So what land remains is a far cry from what had been originally agreed upon. That the US government exercises unilateral control over vast swathes of this shrunken land is a point often lost in discussions of sovereignty, self-government and autonomy of indigenous groups within the United States.



It is worth noting provisions of Article 32 of the UNDRIP
Article 32:
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to determine and develop
priorities and strategies for the development or use of their lands or
territories and other resources.
2. States shall consult and cooperate in good faith with the indigenous
peoples concerned through their own representative institutions
in order to obtain their free and informed consent prior to the
approval of any project affecting their lands or territories and other
resources, particularly in connection with the development, utilization
or exploitation of mineral, water or other resources.

That partnership between indigenous groups and the US government for national parkland management within the boundaries of indigenous lands is only now being considered—and just a recommendation at this point in time-- speaks of the distance that has yet to be covered to make the standards in the UNDRIP a reality.

Hunger Strike by Lakota Nation: "Protect Our Sacred Water Rally"

OklahomaCitizen.org calls attention to rally and protest held from April 1-3 On April 1, 2012, a rally was held by members of the Lakota Nation to bring attention to the importance of water, and the damage that would be done to water supplies if plans for the Keystone XL Pipeline construction went through. A 48 hour hunger strike was held, with protest and rally ending on April 3.

According to "Switchboard", a blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council staff blog, the event was coordinated to be timed with another protest against the Keystone XL pipeline and the water and environmental damage it would cause-- this protest of indigenous peoples in Canada. The "Switchboard" account of the Lakota Nation rally comments that
" Lakota supporters built a sweat lodge and elders sang songs and prayers in support of hunger strikers in Canada over a thousand miles away. They were there to support and protect Mother Earth, a powerful Lakota tradition passed down through the generations, long before oil and mining companies came and polluted their land."

Human Blockade in Lakota Nation land: blocking transport of parts for Keystone XL Pipeline

Lastrealindians.com is carrying a story about a human blockade that was formed yesterday-- March 5-- on the Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota. The human blockade prevented trucks carrying parts for the contested Keystone XL pipeline from travelling on Oglala Lakota lands. The route through the Oglala Lakota homelands was planned without consultation with the indigenous groups, and further, planned the route to try to evade paying a significant sum for the use of state roads, according to the post at Lastrealindians.com: “The heavy-hauling trucks were allegedly cutting through Oglala country in attempts to avoid a $50,000.00 fee to pass through using State of South Dakota roadways.”

If the trucks had crossed the Lakota lands, it would also have been in violation of several resolutions that have been adopted by indigenous governance bodies. The story in full is at the Lastrealindians.com website.