Water protectors convene at Mni Ki Wakan Water Summit

RAPID CITY – On August 15-17, organizers of the Mni Ki Wakan Water Summit brought together water protectors from the four corners of Ina Maka (Mother Earth) to learn how other Indigenous Peoples and youth are addressing critical water issues.

The event which was held at the Rushmore Holiday Inn was co-hosted by Wakiyan LaPoint, from Rosebud SD, a Sicangu Lakota currently living in Minnesota.

“The global water crisis is escalating. We stand for indigenous water, justice, and governance. We need action now more than ever,” Wakinyan said. “This is not solely an expert issue, but communities have an important role to play in protecting water. We see it throughout the world today, indigenous people, and the youth are carrying out diverse water initiatives and movements taking water rights into their own hands to protect Mother Earth and all life.”

Wakinyan said the water summit is bringing together indigenous water rights defenders and allies to learn from one another to envision both steps and what can be done together to advance indigenous water justice and dismantle water colonialism.

Thorne LaPointe, brother of Wakinyan, also from Rosebud and currently living in Minnesota, was another host of the Mni Ki Wakan water summit.

“Water has always been one of the primary identity shapers to indigenous nations and communities around the world. Here at the water summit, we heard from speakers about how we might utilize treaty, human rights of nature and earth law, to safeguard water and ancestral and treaty lands,” Thorne said.

Communities are the primary source of expertise about their local water sources Thorne stated and that there are diverse water sovereignty projects unfolding “as we speak.”

“Indigenous people protect and care for eighty percent of the world’s richest and rarest biodiversity which is water. Solutions from local indigenous communities are greatly needed for a substantial future. We are only 5 percent of the world’s population but we steward and protect a quarter of the world’s land base,” Thorne said and that this is why indigenous rights are the key to protecting the future generations. “Also here in the land of the Oceti Sakowin, it is vital we use our human rights and treaty rights to stop transnational corporations, executive industries from destroying ecosystems in the Sacred He Sapa, Black Hills.”

The Black Hills Clean Water Alliance partnered with other organizations to bring light to the issue that the Black Hills water is under attack by mining companies. This organization is a diverse collection of citizens concerned about the health, environmental and economic impact that mining projects would have on our communities, economy, and natural resources.

According to the BHCWA over 228,000 acres of the He Sapa are under mining claims, that’s more than 18 percent of all the land in the Black Hills. Leaders from all over the country came together to speak about what solutions could be brought to the table to protect the world’s most valuable resource, water. At this three day summit speakers gave their models about water projections in the future and what moves their communities have made to help safeguard the water.

The Great Plains Tribal Alliance spoke about drought mitigations and brought together 23 tribal associations to speak about what could be done for the communities suffering from drought.

This three day summit was filled with information which came from years of environmental studies to understand the watershed of each area. The goal of this summit was to bring partnerships among tribes to fight for the water rights.

One issue brought up was the protected herd of buffalo that had to be moved due to drought. We show resilience by standing for our relatives with no water.

Doug Crow Ghost, Water Administrator for Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, has worked with Standing Rock for 20 years. He says, “There are a lot of water issues.” These issues demand coordinated community action.

Janet Alkire, Standing Rock Tribal Chairwoman was also in attendance and she was part of the Pipeline Fight, and continues to advocate for the water by attending the Water Summit.

Elizabeth Wakeman, Brownsfield Program Director, from the Flandreau Santee Sioux tribe was also in attendance speaking for the water codes that need to be implemented. 

In attendance was the Oglala Sioux Tribal water resources specialist Reno Red Cloud, as well as environmental protector Mary Jane from Lower Brûlé Sioux tribe speaking out about making water codes for their area. 

Madelyn Lehualani Tsugie Mckeague and Sharde Mesberge Frieta, part of the E Ola I Ka Wai, Restoration for Hawaii and its Waters opened their presentation with a prayer, for the people the water and the land. They spoke about how the water crisis affects all of us as a whole Nation and not just individually.

Victor Douville history and culture coordinator spoke about how water is essential to all ceremonies. He said, “We are born surrounded by water. Water is an economic source. We are here at this water summit to attempt to recall our treaty rights. Education will change the concept of water. If we work with a group, we can bring change. Every little bit helps to stop climate change. The land is our brother. Water is social, cultural, and spiritual. We need to protect it.” 

Lilias Jarding researcher, activist, and Professor, part of the Black Hills water Alliance, speaks out about the exploration sites and mining sites in South Dakota. She said, “The Warf Gold mine in Lead SD is a large-scale mining operation that is still being used. This is causing pollution to the water.”

Electric cars are using lithium to produce their batteries, and it takes hundreds of pounds of lithium to generate electric vehicles which is causing problems polluting the water she said, “This is not only making the land ugly, mining is defacing sacred land. Mining in the Black hills has used billions of gallons of water over a hundred years and has been dumping its waste into the creeks. Gold mining is a jewelry mineral. Eleven percent of the US export is gold. Mining has caused acid rock drainage which is hard to stop.”

In Edgemont there are over four thousand holes still open, draining pollution into the environment through the hydrological cycle. This pollution goes from the Cheyenne River into the Angostura Lake and through the Missouri River according to the raw water data.

“We need to reclaim this land and recover the water resources. Eighty percent of non-indigenous people use over 14 billion gallons of water according to the flow chart on the watershed action committee.”

The water codes created to help stop the watershed needs approval from several organizations as it stands, the Army Corps of Engineers states that they cannot help enforce the water codes but they can support it.

Even though the Edgemont commissioner told the Black Hills Clean Water Alliance that they have passed the ordinance that mining for lithium is a nuisance. The office in Edgemont has said that as a business they can continue to mine.

Carla Marshall, one of the speakers and board members for the Rapid Creek Watershed Action has shared their event on Saturday, August 26 for the 5K walk/run at Storybook Island starting at 8 a.m. to bring awareness about the water crisis. This event is to inspire and educate indigenous people and bring kinship and fortitude to the water fight.

(Contact Christopher A. Piña at staffwriter3@nativesunnews.today)

 

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