10 Inspiring Moments from the #NoDAPL Victory

By Yessenia Funes Dec 05, 2016

For now, the Dakota Access Pipeline has hit pause: Yesterday (December 4), the Army Corps of Engineers heard the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s call and denied permits for the pipeline to cross beneath their sacred water source. And that is reason to celebrate—even if with caution, as the Trump administration could possibly reverse the decision. 

Colorlines compiled some of the most inspiring moments since water protectors found out about their victory.

  1. Thirteen-year-old Tokata Iron Eyes told Naomi Klein, “I feel like I got my future back.”
  2. Water protectors marched through camp carrying “mirrored shields,” as the Guardian described an art project that represented the Silver Water Serpent coming to defeat the Black Snake, the term Native people in the movement used to refer to the pipeline.

  3. Colorful fireworks lit up the sky the night after the #NoDAPL victory.

  4. Water protectors gathered to hug the Native youth who helped launch this movement, many of whom ran from North Dakota to Washington, D.C., to deliver a petition to President Barack Obama.

  5. Native dancers didn’t let the blizzard interrupt their celebration.

  6. Journalist Chuck Modi interviewed a Flint, Michigan resident who came to Standing Rock to show solidarity and highlight the parallels between their struggle and his at Flint.

  7. The day after the Corp’s decision, veterans who had come to North Dakota to defend water protectors asked for forgiveness for the armed forces’ historical land theft and genocide of Native lives. 

  8. The Indigenous Environmental Network tweeted this sign.

  9. Social media showed which celebrities #StandWithStandingRock.

 

  1. Some who couldn’t be at Standing Rock realized that yesterday’s victory doesn’t mean the fight is over.