BISMARCK, N.D. \u2014 For protesters fighting the Dakota Access pipeline, the messages from the Standing Rock Sioux reservation are confusing: The tribal chairman tells demonstrators that it\u2019s time to leave their camp and go home. Another leader implores them to stay through the bitter North Dakota winter.<\/p>\n
The conflicting requests show how the camp\u2019s purpose has widened beyond the original intent of protecting the tribe\u2019s drinking water and cultural sites into a broader stand for Native American rights.<\/p>\n
Camp occupants are working through the confusion, said Jade Begay, an organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network. \u201cThe rest of the world just needs to hold tight and be patient,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Since August, the camp on federal land near the reservation and the pipeline route has been home to thousands of people protesting the four-state $3.8 billion pipeline designed to carry oil to a shipping point in Illinois.<\/p>\n
After the camp endured two recent severe storms, Standing Rock Chairman Dave Archambault declared this week that it\u2019s time for the demonstrators to disband.<\/p>\n
Archambault said there\u2019s no reason for people to put their lives at risk because no additional pipeline work is expected for months. The company building the project, Energy Transfer Partners, and the Army Corps of Engineers are battling in court over permission to dig under the Missouri River reservoir that provides the tribe\u2019s drinking water. It\u2019s the last big unfinished segment of the 1,200-mile pipeline.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe understand this fight is not over,\u201d Archambault said. \u201cBut the fight is not here, at this moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Native American rights activist Chase Iron Eyes, an enrolled Standing Rock tribe member who made an unsuccessful bid for Congress this fall, implored pipeline opponents to stay in a social media post this week.<\/p>\n
The camp rejoiced Sunday when the Army announced that it would not issue an easement for the pipeline to cross under Lake Oahe, but it\u2019s unclear what might happen when pipeline supporter Donald Trump enters the White House in January. The dispute also could be decided by a federal judge.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are not in the clear by any means whatsoever,\u201d Iron Eyes said. \u201cThis is not a time for celebration. If it\u2019s a time for anything … it\u2019s a time to honor all the sacrifices that have been made\u201d by camp occupants. More than 500 have been arrested since August.<\/p>\n
The camp began as a peaceful, prayerful protest of the pipeline. It has since drawn in people who believe the dispute represents an overall stand for American Indian rights.<\/p>\n
Iron Eyes said protesters need to stand up for other tribes and treaty rights. \u201cWe don\u2019t stand in a place to tell people to leave,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
State Emergency Services spokeswoman Cecily Fong said the state isn\u2019t surprised by the competing messages, noting the \u201cdifferent agendas\u201d of people in camp.<\/p>\n
Camp occupants are \u201cworking on finding a middle ground and some sort of compromise\u201d through informal discussions, according to Begay, who lives in Tesuque, New Mexico.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese kinds of decisions don\u2019t happen in just a day or two,\u201d she said. \u201cWe need to consider everybody\u2019s safety, everybody\u2019s goals, the different points of view.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Corps recently declared the camp area closed to public access and said those who remain are trespassing, but the agency is not issuing citations. North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple has also called on camp occupants to leave, and Sen. John Hoeven issued a similar plea Wednesday from the floor of the Senate.<\/p>\n
Iron Eyes said he believes the calls for people to leave the camp are aimed at limiting liability, and he said those who stay do so at their own risk. But he implored people \u201cwho understand the inherent risks of staying in a North Dakota winter to stand with us, because this pipeline is not finished, and we have to stand strong and stay vigilant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Archambault acknowledged the efforts of people who came from around the world to support the tribe. But, he said, \u201ctheir purpose has been served.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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