Lakota Oral Tradition and Resistance Against the Dakota Access Pipeline
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“These Type of Sites Are Really Hard to Find”: Lakota Oral Tradition and Resistance Against the Dakota Access Pipeline By © 2018 Ryan Goeckner B.A., University of Kansas, 2014 Submitted to the graduate degree program in the Department of Religious Studies and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. Chair: Dr. Michael Zogry Dr. Sean M. Daley Dr. Brent Metz Dr. Timothy Miller Date Defended: 8 May 2018 ii The thesis committee for Ryan Goeckner certifies that this is the approved version of the following thesis: “These Type of Sites Are Really Hard to Find”: Lakota Oral Tradition and Resistance Against the Dakota Access Pipeline Chair: Dr. Michael Zogry Date Approved: 8 May 2018 iii Abstract The Dakota Access Pipeline resistance movement provides a poignant example of the way in which oral traditions remain authoritative in the religious lives of American Indian peoples. The members of Lakota communities confronted with the restriction of their religious freedoms and access to clean drinking water by DAPL’s construction have faced the consequences brought on in part by scholarly assessment of the veracity and importance of oral traditions. As I demonstrate in this thesis, the exclusion of Native voices from conversations about these traditions, both within and outside academia, has larger impacts than just incomplete understandings. Going forward, those engaged in scholarly discourses must understand that they have greater obligations than merely the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. Understanding the wider impact of discussions like those surrounding oral traditions provides a stimulus for reflection and reevaluation of the research being conducted about, for, and with American Indian communities. iv Acknowledgments Without the support and encouragement of a whole community of people, this project would not have been possible. First and foremost, I would like to thank the citizens of the Cheyenne River Sioux Nation for their endless hospitality and willingness to visit with me during my time in their community. Specifically, without the help of Chip and Trini Bird Necklace the most important parts of this project would not have gotten off the ground. I will forever be grateful for their assistance in acquiring tribal approvals as well as identifying community members whose voices I have included here. I would like to thank my thesis committee for their never-ending support and guidance in and out of the classroom, not just on this project, but in my entire graduate career. Their expertise served as a guiding force during the completion of this project. Furthermore, I am grateful for the financial support of my thesis research from the Department of Religious Studies and the Friends of the Department of Religious Studies. I would like to thank the members of the American Indian Heath Research and Education Alliance (AIHREA), also for their support. Without the encouragement of AIHREA directors Sean and Chris Daley, I would not have begun my work with American Indian communities or cultivated the skills necessary to complete this project both ethically and effectively. Furthermore, I would like to thank both Snoop Dogg and Rage Against the Machine for providing a fitting soundtrack to the writing of this project. To my cohort, thank you for your stimulating conversations that have challenged me to think about my research in different ways. Also, thank you to my friend and colleague Jay Bohanon. We made it! Thank you for all of your late night support and writing assistance. v Last, and most importantly, I would like to thank my family. Without their encouragement and their part in cultivating my love of reading, I would not have been nearly as successful with this project and in my entire academic career. Specifically, I would like to thank my fiancée, Alexzandria, who is a constant source of support and encouragement in everything that I do. vi Dedication This project is dedicated to all water protectors in Lakota communities and elsewhere fighting for access to clean drinking water and the free expression of American Indian religious traditions. vii Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments......................................................................................................................iv Dedication..................................................................................................................................vi Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1 Oral Traditions and Lived Religion ......................................................................................... 6 In the Community ................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter 2 Literature Review ..................................................................................................... 11 Scholarly Assessments of Oral Traditions ............................................................................. 11 “Land Writings” .................................................................................................................... 23 Scholarship on Lakota Spirituality ......................................................................................... 27 Chapter 3 Perpetual Authority: The White Buffalo Calf Woman in Lakota Oral Tradition......... 33 The White Buffalo Calf Woman Brings the Pipe ................................................................... 35 Continued Relevance............................................................................................................. 56 Chapter 4 “Evidence of Our Existence” ..................................................................................... 60 Naǧí Yata, “Place of the Spirits”............................................................................................ 60 “Tangible Evidence of Our People” ....................................................................................... 63 “Stellar Scriptures”................................................................................................................ 69 “From Generation to Generation” .......................................................................................... 73 “Lakota People Are Prayerful People” ................................................................................... 74 Chapter 5 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 82 Appendix .................................................................................................................................. 87 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................. 89 1 Chapter 1 Introduction The acrid smell of tear gas lingered as the sounds of whizzing rubber bullets, gushing water cannons and the piercing wail of the Long Range Acoustic Device cut through the cold North Dakota air. Individuals known as “water protectors” were under attack by law enforcement from five states, including the local Morton County Sheriff’s Department. These water protectors had assembled to clear Highway 1806 in Morton County, ND of a blockade of burnt-out vehicles that had cut off travel to and from the Standing Rock Sioux Indian community. As they were met with the spray of water cannons in below-freezing temperatures, some water protectors prayed, while others shouted at the militarized police force assembled to quell the protests. The night of November 20, 2016 was the culmination of a months’-long struggle between American Indian protesters and their allies over the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).1 This was one of the most brutal exchanges between water protectors and the police force during the entire campaign against the Pipeline’s construction, resulting in numerous injuries, including the near amputation of one water protector’s arm after taking a direct hit from a concussion grenade.2 Despite the lack of mainstream media coverage until the later stages of 1 Use of the term “American Indian” to describe the indigenous peoples of the lower 48 contiguous United States is informed by the preference of community members whom I have worked. I will use the term “Native” in the same way, and for the same reasons, throughout. However, I am aware of the contention surrounding self-identification by indigenous peoples in the United States. For more on this discussion, see Michael Yellow Bird, "What We Want to Be Called: Indigenous Peoples' Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Identity Labels," American Indian Quarterly 23, no. 2 (1999). 2 The events described were largely ignored by mainstream media sources apart from limited coverage of the conflict between the citizens of the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Community and Dakota Access. However, they were covered by a variety of alternative media sources and Facebook livestreams from the protest itself. For example, see Jim Naureckas, "48 Words at 4 Am Is All Network News Has to Say About Pipeline Protests," Fairness & Accuracy in