Modern Day Warriors lead protest against underwater pipeline
Modern Day Warriors lead protest against underwater pipeline
By Jerry W. Kram
They call themselves the Modern Day Warriors.
The group of youth from ages 11 to 25, gathered on North Dakota Highway 23 to make a statement about what they are willing to fight for. On horseback and on foot, they walked the four miles from New Town to the MHA Nation Administration Building last week to protest the Tribal Business Council’s decision to support the Sakakawea Pipeline that would run under the bed of Lake Sakakawea.
Zaysha Grinnell organized the group that meets at 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College in New Town. They started a petition on the change.org website and also circulated a physical petition urging the TBC to change its mind on the project and to also oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline which would also go under the lake. The online petition attracted more than 700 signatures.
"There are going to be two pipelines going under the lake," Grinnell said. "The pipelines will harm our people, and not just the people here now but the little ones coming up. I’m 15, and the tribal council (members) are all older than us. We will be the ones living on this land after they are gone."
