LINCOLN, NEBRASKA—The involvement of the indigenous populations in both the United States and Canada in the opposition to various pipelines, including the Keystone XL, should come as no surprise. As we have said, the abuse and misuse of the eminent domain process in the construction of the pipeline here has been an effective organizing tool to bring together environmentalists and ranchers to oppose the project. And if it is nothing else, the history of the native peoples on this continent is the greatest example of eminent domain abuse in human history. They know better than anyone the feeling that greater forces from the outside can overwhelm and threaten long-standing ways of life.

On Tuesday, in a basement ballroom of a downtown hotel, the Ponca, Santee, Omaha, and Winnebago peoples organized a treaty among themselves, and several other tribes, expressing their opposition to the pipeline. From the start, here and in Canada, the indigenous peoples of the continent have been at the heart of the opposition to projects like this one, most visibly during the extended confrontation over the Dakota Access pipeline. In Nebraska, the alliance between Native Americans and ranchers, particularly over issues of eminent domain, not only was shot through with remarkable historical je ne sais quoi, it was a pragmatic decision based on common interests. People shouldn't buy the right to steal your land. The Native people are familiar with this phenomenon and with how angry its victims can become.

Moreover, from the environmental moonscape of Alberta, where the tar sands are mined, to the route of the pipeline that will carry it through Nebraska, the coalition is united over the possible health risks associated with the substance the pipeline is supposed to carry. It begins, again, in Canada. From Al Jazeera:

Alberta's Athabasca tar sands represents the largest reservoir of tar sands in the world that is suitable for large-scale surface mining — and is a major boon to the Canadian economy. But some First Nations communities and environmentalists say they are concerned about toxic chemicals that could hurt their health and the environment that many indigenous groups still depend on. Further complicating the matter, critics have said regulators responsible for ensuring the safety of oil sands development are too closely tied with the industry.The study, conducted by University of Manitoba and University of Saskatchewan researchers and First Nations in Alberta, is the first of its kind to draw an association between tar sands and declines in community health in Fort Chipewyan, Alberta. A January survey had suggested that Alberta residents' illnesses may be linked to the development but noted that most area doctors were afraid to speak out about any such connection. Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam criticized the government and tar sands industry for failing to conduct such a study in the past. "It's frustrating to be constantly filling the gaps in research and studies that should have already been done," Adam said. "This demonstrates the lack of respect by industry and government to effectively address First Nations' concerns." Many participants in the study said they had already decided not to eat locally caught fish because of concerns over heavy metals, which the government has issued advisories on. Their increased consumption of store-bought foods means their diets include much higher amounts of fats, sugars and salts than is deemed healthy. The report said that trend is expected to continue as tar sands development expands and the availability of safe-to-consume wildlife declines.

The argument also extends into this realm as well. Nobody has the right to buy the ability to endanger the public health. Eminent domain does not extend to somebody's central nervous system. Or it ought not to, anyway.

The treaty signing was a solemn affair, suffused with prayers and the kind of ancient spirituality that has sustained itself in a remarkable way through some very bloody history. It is a formidable weapon of opposition. "We stand here for the silent ones," said Casey Camp, an organizer from the Ponca people of Oklahoma. "The ones that walk on four legs, the ones that fly, the creepy-crawlies on the earth, and the ones that live beneath it. All of the things that connect us, and the sacred water that we're here to protect. The earth is calling for us to make a stand.

"We stand here for the silent ones."

"They think they're strong, those people in that other building, but the decision already has been made. We have been called to defend this portion of mother Earth."

Heads were bowed. Songs were sung. It's easy to look upon all of this as an anachronism, but it's not any more of anachronism than, say, the elaborate formal courtesies of the United States Senate, and its prayers more fundamentally spiritual than any bloviating from any television preacher who gets invited to speak at a presidential inauguration. These were the people who were moved off the land, but who never really left it behind. They have more of a right to be heard on these issues than anyone else in the world.

"You," said Mike Wolf to the several white supporters who had come to the ceremony, "you're the Indians now. You're having this thing shoved down your throats." He wasn't wrong.

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Prayer meeting among the tribes united against the Keystone XL pipeline pic.twitter.com/pkf2dviYSw — Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) August 8, 2017

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Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.

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