Over the weekend, the US Army Corps of Engineers finally delivered some good news to the thousands of protesters camped out at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation: Construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline would be halted.The proposed pipeline would have carried crude oil underneath Lake Oahe, a dammed-up part of Missouri River and the main water source for the reservation. The Sioux tribe has repeatedly expressed concerns that the pipeline could lead to contamination of their water supply and threaten its water and treaty rights.
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After months of the stand-off involving protesters (who call themselves Water Protectors) and police, the Army Corps announced on Sunday that it would not grant permission for Dakota Access LLC (DPL) to drill under the river. In a statement, it said that it would instead "explore alternate routes for the pipeline crossing."For the thousands of protesters—comprising of members of the Sioux Tribe, indigenous people from across America, non-indigenous allies, and veterans—camped out at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, the news came as welcome relief in the biting cold. It was the culmination of an intense struggle that involved shocking levels of police brutality.
Photographer Celine Guiout photographed and interviewed the women of Standing Rock a week before the Water Protectors were told that their months-long test of endurance and activism had paid off. "Women are definitely a driving force in this massive gathering," she tells Broadly. "All the women I had the chance to meet throughout my stay were incredibly optimistic about the outcome and peaceful resolution of the current situation. These women were completely unmovable in their faith."**Read more: How 'Porn's New King' Allegedly Swindled a *Native* American Tribe Out of Millions**
Beatrice Menasekwe Jackson from the Tsimshian tribe in Ketchikan, Alaska, now living in Michigan
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Bibi, from the Juaneño tribe in San Juan Capistrano, California
Cortney Collia from Kalamazoo, Michigan
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Vanessa Castle and her horse, Medicine Hat, from the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe in Port Angeles, Washington
Melaine Stoneman, from the Sicangu Lakota (Burnt Thigh Nation) tribe in Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota
Faith Spotted Eagle and her daughter, Brook, from the Yankton Sioux (Ihanktonwan Dakota Oyate) tribe in Yanktown Reservation, South Dakota
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Brook: As indigenous people, we're always thinking forward [to the next] seventh generation. The way that we understand it is that we protect our people—we're indigenous, we're tribal—and part of that indigeneity is that our relatives are not just human. They are also non-human. These are our rivers that have a spirit and are part of our nation, and our original mother that we all belong to. So I'm part of a women's society. My role as a women in a women's society I'm here to support in any way that I can with my elders. They are the original freedom fighters and they've always been freedom fighters, so right now we're in training. We're also fighting alongside them, so I'm here in service of my people.
Courtney and Amber McCornack, from Albert Lea, Minnesota
Urtema Dolphin, from London
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Anonymous aunt and her niece, with tribal affiliations from the Desert Southwest, Apache, and Mexican tribes
We are here to change that and support the people. It's not only for our kids, but it's also for the future generations. Even for the cops at the bridge, the water in me recognizes the water in them. Even if we're on opposing sides, we still have the same communality which is our bodies are made of water. So I'm just going to keep praying and appealing to that.
Tosha Luger from the Hunkpapa tribe of the Seven Council Fires of the Lakota Sioux in Standing Rock
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In order to change things, we must remain in prayer and peace. I feel so honored for all these people who have heard our prayers and have joined us in this, and I hope they will bring our healing and teachings back to where they are from and start changing the world, empower Mother Earth, and be more compassionate, kind, and empathetic.