Supporters of the Dakota Access pipeline protest in western North Dakota marched about a mile through Bemidji Tuesday evening to express solidarity.
More than 200 people met at the base of the nine-foot-tall Chief Bemidji statue, between the lake and Bemidji Avenue. They carried signs reading “Water is Life,” and “I stand with Standing Rock.” A steady stream of cars honked as they passed.
Over the past few months, the protest camp near the Standing Rock Reservation has drawn thousands of people from all over the country in an attempt to block construction of the oil pipeline.
• FAQ: The Dakota Access pipeline and protest
Many more people support the Standing Rock demonstrations, but don’t have the time or money to join the protest, according to writer and Bemidji State University Ojibwe professor Anton Treuer.
“We are not looking for trouble,” Treuer said before the event. “We are looking to elevate consciousness. Anybody who wants to know what’s going on, anybody who wants to lend their voice, here’s your chance to lean in.”
Treuer helped plan the event. He said the march and rally was designed to give people who could not reach Standing Rock a chance to express their support, but many in the crowd had already been there.
Curtis Buckanaga, a Leech Lake band member walked with the crowd toward the American Indian Resource center at Bemidji State University. He’s been at the Standing Rock protest camp a handful of times since it began months ago.
He has a U-Haul truck, and runs regular loads of donated supplies.
“We brought more than 300 pounds of wild rice in August,” he said. “Now we’re concentrating on blankets and propane tanks. Firewood is scarce out there.”
Buckanaga wasn’t surprised by the line of local supporters winding along four city blocks toward the college. When the Standing Rock protest first began, he said most people hadn’t heard of it. Now, as law enforcement tries to move protesters from private land, he said support is growing quickly.
“The climate is at such a point right now,” he said. “We’re at a critical time. This isn’t just the Indian’s last stand. It’s the world’s last stand.”
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Michael Dahl, a spiritual leader on the White Earth reservation also walked with the crowd. He led similar marches last year to protest the Sandpiper oil pipeline, and the Line 3 replacement project.
“We had maybe 10 or 20 people on those walks.” he said. “I’m a little overwhelmed by this. It’s nice to see.”
The demonstrations at Standing Rock have captured more attention, he said.
The event was organized by the Indigenous Environmental Network, Bemidji Area Truth & Reconciliation, BSU Council of Indian Students, BSU Students for the Environment and the BSU American Indian Resource Center.