Enbridge Pipeline

By PEARL HENDERSON

Sheridan High School Student

Editor’s Note: The Sheridan Student Column is brought to readers by Sheridan High School’s 10th grade English class, taught by Abby Williams.

A person like myself can be so bold to assume that many others have never heard of the Enbridge Pipeline. The assumption is safely made with the background context that the very words garner a surprised and confused reaction from those around.

For context, Enbridge is an oil-company based in Canada. Enbridge desires to build a pipeline that goes through more than 200 bodies of water, which is the main reason so many are against it. Although, not the only reason.

To start at the main reason, this pipeline will pump tar sand oil, known to the world as the “dirtiest” oil and one of the hardest pollutants to rid from an environment. This would cause irreparable damage to not only the water but the environment. There are many endangered species that live in the environment in which line 3 is being built, such as the Higgins Mussel, which cleans the water in the river that the fish need to live.

This includes not only animals but important wild plants. The only known form of wild rice plant found in the U.S. is located on the river in which line 3 is being built. This plant is just one of the main sources of food for indigenous peoples living on the land and holds great importance in their culture.

The secondary reason the pipeline is being so heavily protested is because it violates indigenous treaties. The 1885 treaty stated that the government will not be allowed to or able to interfere with the land of the Anishinaabe (Dine) peoples, specifically the treaty of the elders of Saskatchewan. This pipeline directly goes against that agreement. It directly interferes with their culture, land, and water supply.

The pipeline itself is not only a reason, but so are the workers. Within the past few months, the sexual assault and missing persons cases for indigenous women have increased significantly. And in recent news, a sex trafficking ring made by the workers has been uncovered, per ktsp.com, an online news station. This, combined with the news of indigenous children’s bodies found at residential schools, the MMIW (missing and murdered indigenous women) is salt in a wound that’s been open for centuries.

This information is not new. It has just not been televised. I personally came across a video in which an indigenous creator was talking about the indigenous children found at residential schools. I thought to myself “How could that possibly be true?” and after hours of searching, I found an article about how a student had taken ground-penetrating radar and discovered 215 unmarked graves at a residential school. By now that number has climbed to about 5,000.

The MMIW still happens today. I was alerted to this by one main indigenous content creator, Quiriror, a two-spirit, Dine creator on the platform TikTok. They spoke of the residential schools to start and then line 3. They linked petitions, sources, and many other resources. After more searching by myself to gain other perspectives, I realized that they were correct. The pipeline, the oppression, the genocide, and the ugly parts of history have been covered up for years.

To conclude, this pipeline not only promotes systemic racism brought against the indigenous peoples but is detrimental to all parts of their lives. Enbridge is responsible for the largest inland oil spill, the mistreatment of the Anishinaabe, and for funding police officers to fight water protesters leading to many illegal arrests (per theintercept.com).

If we allow this to continue, what will happen next? The genocide of indigenous peoples will continue until something is done. The country founded on freedom is turning into an oppressive and corrupt place unless we the people do something about it.