On December 4th, 2016 as thousands of Veterans descended upon the Oceti Sakowin camp, the Army Corps of Engineers in a statement made by Jo-Ellen Darcy, stated there was a need to explore alternative routes and that this would be best accomplished through an Environmental Impact Statement with full public input and analysis.

Then, Donald Trump took office, and it became business as usual in America.

On February 9th Dakota Access began construction on the pipeline again, preparing to drill under Lake Oahe. The commentary coming out of the white house has raised a lot of concern - specifically in regards to the President stating he has received no calls. In fact, since he took office the White House comment line has been down. The comment line was reopened on February 16th.

With the imminent completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline in sight, the real narrative is unfolding and it isn't making the front pages of America. In this episode of Under Reported I interview Chairman Harold Frazier of the Cheyenne River Sioux, Jade Begay of Indigenous Rising Media and Journalist Jenni Monet. Chairman Frazier has been at the forefront of the legal battle in Washington, and Jade has been reporting on the ground at Standing Rock since September of 2016. Jenni Monet has been reporting, embedded at Standing Rock and is a contributor at Reveal, the Center for Investigative Reporting, and Indian Country Today.

Listen in and learn how this movement is much more than a pipeline.

“This idea of erasure, of our existence being completely ignored and shut out of the general awareness.”

— Jade Begay

“As an Indigenous person we don’t need to have the bandwidth to understand that land disputes go back 150 years. We’ve just inherited that knowledge by living and being in our tribal communities and understanding how that plays out in our real lives.”

— Jenni Monet

Episode 01: Standing Rock: Sovereignty and erasure