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The Cultural Frontline: On Standing Rock

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On Standing Rock

03/09/2022 GMT

BBC World Service - The Cultural Frontline, On Standing Rock

Nick Rankin examines the cultural fallout from the protests at Standing Rock in 2016

Nick Rankin examines the cultural fallout from the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline at the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Reservation in North Dakota in 2016.

In 2016, one of the largest tribal gatherings in North American history took place on the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Reservation in North Dakota. Thousands of indigenous people, from across the continent, came together "in defence of water" and to protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe mobilised supporters from across the country and the response was extraordinary. Thousands of indigenous people from across America and beyond joined together as "water protectors" and in solidarity against the "black snake" of the pipeline.

The encampments evoked memories of previous native conflicts with central government, with tepees on the prairie and men on horseback. But this was a very modern movement, fuelled by social media, largely led by women and using the full force of indigenous art and culture.

Nick Rankin travels to North Dakota to find out what happened at this controversial site, and to see how those events continue to resonate there today. He talks to local artists and activists, and to several of the original water protectors. How has the tribe been changed? In what ways has it altered their relationship with other tribes and with the surrounding non-native culture? How significant is the role of Native Arts and language in this new wave of environmental protest?

Presenter: Nick Rankin
Producer: Anthony Denselow
A Whistledown production for BBC World Service

Image: Activist Waniya Locke (Credit: Anthony Denselow)

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