Quartzite ridge and the hiking trail at Pipestone National Monument by Brian Jeffery Beggerly, retrieved from Flickr.com
Last month, Coalition organizers Doe Hoyer and Amanda Pittman traveled to Hot Springs, South Dakota in response to a request from Lakota organizers fighting to protect the sacred sites Pe’Sla and Craven Canyon from graphite and uranium test drilling, respectively. The Lakota resistance to the threat to Pe’Sla resulted in the company withdrawing its permit request. In the case of Craven Canyon, the permit hearing has been indefinitely adjourned following the filing of a federal civil rights lawsuit by Lakota land and water protectors.
Yet, the threats to Paha Sapa / He Sapa (the sacred lands now called the Black Hills) and to other Lakota sacred sites are in no way stopping. Despite objection from tribes and both Indigenous and non-Indigenous activists, last week on June 15th, the Dewey-Burdock uranium mining project received approval from the Bureau of Land Management to begin constructing the “initial ancillary infrastructure” needed to begin mining. This project, located in the Black Hills west of the Craven Canyon project, would still need further permitting, but has passed a significant milestone toward becoming reality.
Another site, Pipestone National Monument in Minnesota, which is sacred to the nations of the Oceti Sakowin (the Lakota and Dakota peoples) and Indigenous nations across the continent, is being threatened by a corporation wanting to rebuild a previously decommissioned oil pipeline. Pipestone Quarry is the sole source of the red catalanite used in sacred pipes, which are central to Indigenous spiritual practice for numerous nations. Damage to or contamination of this site would be catastrophic for current and future spiritual practice and religious freedom for Indigenous peoples. The pipeline has been decommissioned for four years and is not needed.
Call to Action
We are being called to stand alongside our relatives, whose lands are under attack. Right now, Indigenous organizers are calling on faith communities across the country to submit public comments in defense of Pipestone National Monument.
Join us in telling the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to deny the permits for the Magellan Pipeline Project. Learn how you can sign on to the Coalition’s letter of support and send your own public comment at: https://linktr.ee/ProtectPipestoneCalltoAction
