Activists and leaders reflect on Standing Rock a decade on: ‘I would do it again’

Tribal leaders and organizers return to reservation 10 years after demonstrations against Dakota Access pipeline

Ten years after major demonstrations against the Dakota Access pipeline, tribal leaders and Native American organizers returned to the Standing Rock Sioux reservation this week to honor the movement and its lasting impacts.

In the rural reservation area of Fort Yates, a four-day encampment that centered on the phrase “mní wičóni” – “water is life” – brought together about 150 tribal members and allies for meals, drum circles, sacred ceremonies and memorials.