The force of those two rivers coming
together formed a great whirlpool where perfectly round stones were created
that are considered to be sacred to the Mandan, Arikara, Cheyenne, and the
Oceti Sakonwin.
A friend thought I “might find the
attached document from the Society of American Archaeology Government Affairs
news update interesting.”
And I did.
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As one of two solicited
pieces on the crisis over the Dakota Access Pipeline in the Cannonball/Lake
Oahe area, SAA asked Mr. Jon Eagle, the Tribal Historical Preservation
Officer (THPO) of the Standing Rock Tribe of Sioux, to draft a column
presenting his perspectives. The other solicited piece was that from Fern
Swenson, Director of the Archaeology & Historic Preservation Division and
Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, State Historical Society of North
Dakota, published in the November 2016
Government Affairs Update. Mr. Eagle's viewpoint is presented below. As with all solicited
opinion in the Update, SAA provides a forum for the dissemination of
knowledge and discussion. Views expressed are solely those of the writers,
and the Society does not endorse, approve, or censor them.
My name is Jon Eagle
Sr. I was appointed Tribal Historic Preservation Officer by the Standing Rock
Sioux Tribe Council on February 8th, 2016. The SRST/THPO manages and protects
cultural resources, sacred areas, and sites within the boundaries of the
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe according to original boundaries of the Fort
Laramie Treaty of 1851 and 1868, and aboriginal homelands of the Oceti
Sakonwin, or the Great Sioux Nation. Our language, creation stories, star
knowledge, oral histories, and sacred knowledge are the database that allows
me as a THPO to properly identify and evaluate a sacred site without having
to disturb the ground.
The confluence of the
Cannon Ball River and the Missouri River is a site of religious and cultural
significance to the Oceti Sakonwin. The Cannon Ball River is known as Inyan
Wakan Kagapi Wakpa (River Where the
Sacred Stones Are Made). The Missouri River is known as Mni Sose
(Turbulent Water). The force of those two rivers coming together formed a
great whirlpool where perfectly round stones were created that are considered
to be sacred to the Mandan, Arikara, Cheyenne, and the Oceti Sakonwin.
This area was once a
place of commerce, where traditional enemies camped within sight of each
other. The tribes who visited this area had such reverence for the land that
no blood was spilt in this sacred place. It contains sacred stones where the
people to this day go to pray and ask for good direction, strength, and
protection for the coming year. Several Sundances took place in this area
because of the sacred nature of the rivers and the land. The Lakota/Dakota
Oyate have seven sacred rites, and the Sundance is one of the most sacred.
In the area is a
sacred stone where our ancestors went to pray and ask for guidance. As a
Lakota, I am fortunate enough to have traveled there with elders who are no
longer with us, to pray and leave offerings, asking for good direction,
strength, and protection on behalf of our people. The site of this stone is
confidential and protected by this office. This place of prayer is still in
use today.
Today, Lake Oahe is
where eagles nest. Eagles remain sacred to the Native American people. A
Standing Rock spiritual leader, Everett Jamerson, once told me, "The
eagle is considered sacred to our people because out of all the winged, they
fly the highest. They fly so high they can see the curve of grandmother earth
and know what's coming." It's common among the Lakota to make offerings
of tobacco when eagles are sighted. An eagle feather is one of the highest
honors of an individual's deeds.
People still go to the
water to pray and make offerings so that all life sustained by our river may
live. All life is considered sacred and is dependent upon the Missouri River.
Water defined our ancestral territory. Stone features, burial cairns, and
stone effigies can be found near water on hill tops, along ridges, hillsides,
and drainages.
The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers' hydroelectric dams in our grandparents' time adversely affected
our Traditional Cultural Landscape without even bothering to inform our
people. It wasn't until the water came that they realized the river was
flooding. Relatives and communities who lived on the river bottomland tell
many sad stories about the deep spiritual wound this caused. Those two rivers
no longer produce the sacred stones. When people lost the river bottom, they
lost traditional foods and medicine, and diabetes, heart disease, and obesity
grew among our people.
Without meaningful
consultation, archaeologists lack the cultural awareness and sensitivities to
identify sites of religious and cultural significance to tribes. Only the
tribes themselves have that ability, as acknowledged by the Advisory Council
on Historic Preservation in its Policy Statement Regarding Federal
Relationships with Tribal Historic Preservation Officers of November 6, 2014.
September 2, 2016,
SRST lawyers filed an emergency injunction in Washington, DC, based upon
former THPO Tim Mentz's survey August 28-September 2, documenting over 80
stone features and 27 ancient burials. The 2015 Cultural Resource Survey
prepared for the Dakota Access Pipeline by the contractor mentioned no sites
along the construction corridor. Archaeologists would have literally walked
right over these sites and not seen what was on the ground. On September 3,
DAPL knowingly destroyed sites of religious and cultural significance to the
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, violating the National Historic Preservation Act
(NHPA), Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, North Dakota
state law, and the terms of the permit issued by the Public Service
Commission.
The SRST/THPO sent a
letter to the North Dakota State Historic Preservation Office asking for a
Stop Work Order, so our office could evaluate the damage to our sites. I
followed up with an in-person meeting, where we discussed our request. The ND
Deputy SHPO agreed to conduct an on-site investigation in conjunction with
our office. We learned later that ND SHPO and the State Archaeologist
conducted an investigation in September 2016 without consulting with the
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
Also in September
2016, the Natural History Museum [an alliance of natural history museums,
Ed.] sent a letter signed by over 1,200 archaeologists, anthropologists,
historians, and museum personnel[1] to the Obama Administration, the
Department of Justice, Department of Interior, and the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, condemning the destruction of our sacred sites and burials.
Another, from the American Anthropological Association, said, "the US
Army Corps of Engineers granted environmental clearances and construction
permits without consulting the Standing Rock tribal government in a
meaningful way."[2]
Section 101(d)(6)(b)
of the NHPA requires that federal agencies carrying out their Section 106
responsibilities consult with any Indian tribe attaching religious and
cultural significance to historic properties that may be affected by an
undertaking. The confluence of the Cannon Ball and Missouri Rivers is a
Traditional Cultural Landscape containing ancient village sites, burial
cairns, stone features, stone effigies, and sacred sites with religious and
cultural significance to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Our people still
travel to these sacred areas for prayers and ceremonies. The Dakota Access
Pipeline will have an adverse effect on this.
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