"Advice to Water Protectors"

[Mike__M]

Here's an interesting opinion on what direction indigenous action might take.

Fighting to Win: the Haida's Advice to Water Protectors in the U.S.

Lessons from the Haida, who fought the government of Canada for sovereignty—and actually won.

by Arvind Dilawar, Pacific Standard, Jan 17, 2018

(snip)

At least 97 groups across the country are fighting oil and gas projects. Standing Rock may be an inspiration to them, but it doesn't provide the best blueprint. For that, Water Protectors and their allies can look north, to the Haida people of Canada. After more than 40 years of fighting against the exploitation of their homeland—an archipelago off the coast of British Columbia—the Haida have broken the mold: They've actually won. And in light of the NoDAPL movement and other ongoing, Native-led struggles, the lessons that Water Protectors can glean from the Haida's victory are now more relevant than ever.

(snip)

Considering the Trump administration's support for oil and gas projects, as well as its disregard for Native-American culture, the NoDAPL movement is unlikely to be the last of its kind. As Water Protectors and their allies prepare to do battle with what Guujaaw [a hereditary clan chief] refers to as "the beast," they would do well to follow the blueprint set out by the Haida: coming to consensus around a holistic strategy aiming for sovereignty, then patiently waiting to set that plan into motion.

LINK

The Haida, you may remember, are the people whose grandmothers stripped a couple of their chiefs of their authority after it was revealed that they'd been cooperating with Enbridge on their pipeline plans.
(Haida strip two hereditary chiefs of titles for supporting Enbridge)

I think Standing Rock was different in that they didn't have the decades of build-up--the re-routing of the DAPL was relatively sudden, so there was no time for "patiently waiting to put a plan into motion." Also, #NoDAPL accomplished an amazing feat in rallying nations across the continent in their support, as well as indigenous people around the world. The Haida actions, however successful--even breaking into the international news--didn't trigger such widespread response, which is kind of a shame; as this article argues, their tactics deserve close attention.