The 2017 Climate Change March in Washington, D.C., included a number of prominent Native Americans, such as Chief Arvol Looking Horse of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, pictured at center. Courtesy photo
Indigenous People take the lead in Climate Change March
By Maxine Hillary
Washington D. C. Correspondent
Native Sun News Today
nativesunnews.today WASHINGTON –– Seems like everyone’s marching these days. Since January, D.C. has been the site of a women’s march, an indigenous people’s march, and a scientist’s march—if one goes as far as to consider any of the current administration’s initiatives as accomplishments, one could say President Trump’s ability to unite his public opposition contends as truly impressive. The first Climate Change March in September of 2014 drew an estimated 400,000 people to New York City. The indigenous people’s contingent led that march with Sting and Leonardo DiCaprio flanked by Amazonian tribal representatives. Indigenous peoples also took the front ranks this time. As much as the march was designed to let the Administration know that efforts to roll back environmental regulations that protect lands, waters, and wildlife, cut the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget, bring back coal, and slash any funding toward climate change mitigation will not be tolerated. For Native participants, it was just another day in a continuing saga of fighting for Mother Earth and an indigenous tradition of doing whatever can be done to stand up to those that would threaten Her—all juxtaposed on the backbone built by the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, which Trump cleared the way for almost as soon as he took office. Greg Cournoyer Jr. is a councilman who sits on the Business and Claims Committee of the Yankton Sioux in Wagner, South Dakota. An original protester at Standing Rock, he talked about how his ceremonial life has motivated him and many other tribal peoples to push back against extractive industries and why they’ve become a unifying factor for the climate change movement. “All I see is corporate greed and lies. The hypocrisy has gotten my attention,” Cournoyer said Referring to the governmental response at Standing Rock, “They called us eco-terrorists. The government has always been terrorists to Indian people.”
Read the rest of the story on the Native Sun News Today website: Indigenous People take the lead in Climate Change March (Contact Maxine Hillary at maxinehillary@verizon.net) Copyright permission Native Sun News
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