In the readings for this week, an overarching theme that I saw present was the influence of higher power and affluence dictating the water rights. I especially enjoyed the reading “Fighting for Our Lives: #NoDAPL in Historical Context,” published on The Red Nation website. Over the course of my last academic year here at the University of Oregon being an Environmental Studies major, we discussed the Dakota Access Pipeline candidly, and often. Knowing how this pipeline was unconstitutional and flat out racist towards the Great Sioux Nation was disheartening, especially because it was implemented as soon as Donald Trump was elected. Thousands of people took it upon themselves to fight towards this injustice, and even though the nation shows their dissatisfaction, the pipe was put in. This type of behavior is something that is well known in the history of the United States; we further and further cut back on the land and resources the Native Americans are allocated, all for our own selfish capitalist desires. Murdering and using ridiculously unnecessary violent acts towards this tribe is nothing new, and something that has continually got worse. Watching the protests online and seeing how the people were treated when they were only trying to maintain what was theirs was appalling and disgusting. Something that was nice to take out of this was the unity that it brought between Natives and non-natives, and it was a pivotal change in the native American community.
The Water is Life movement began at Standing Rock, and this is important to note that this created a cultural movement for indigenous populations, and even made way for the World’s Indigenous People Day. This podcast takes place here in Eugene, and it is showing that this issue is not only in North and South Dakota- it is everywhere, and it needs to be recognized everywhere.
Chapter 5 of “Water Wars” describes how water is not an unlimited resource. There are people who have yet to accept this as truth, and it is alarming. Shiva goes into detail about how the agriculture movement is increasing the need for water exponentially. Our watershed is being harmed drastically by the agricultural movement, and these precious resources are either being used up entirely or being altered so radically that the entire chemistry of the water is out of whack. Chapter 6 of “Water Wars” goes on to discuss the de-privatization of water. Communities have attempted this and is a direct result of more of a hierarchy of water has come into play. If water doesn’t remain a communal resource, it is going to be falling to one sort of power. This relates to the #NoDAPL article because the Dakota Access Pipeline has taken what was supposed to be a water resource of the Sioux people living on the land because it was something that could be of greater use for the United States. Just by implementing this pipeline, the US showed that using our natural resources as a private factor that can be controlled.
In the Susana Santos painting “Tlxni (Falls of a Woman’s Hair)”, the artist is depicting a mother and daughter salmon fishing. It is an important image because it is showing two women working very hard to fish in a somewhat traditional way. It shows community, especially because it relates to the readings about indigenous cultures because salmon fishing is important to their culture. The waterfall can represent how strong the women are, and how they are fighting against the elements to survive. Throughout history, we have been taught that men were the hunters and women were the gatherers, so this picture is important showing how the gender roles are nonexistent. It shows a struggle that these two women face, but they are able to overcome because they are working together. It appears to be a near recent depiction of women fishing because they are wearing clothing that is seen within the 20th century.
Some questions I had during these readings were:
- How does the United States school system need to change for younger generations of students to understand the issues with water and natural resource policy before they get to a higher education level?
- What is the significance that artist Susana Santos is depicting by using women in her portrait of salmon fishing? How do the natural elements also allude to other symbols of the piece?
