The Dakota Sioux living on the Standing Rock reservation celebrated Sunday when news broke that the construction of the North Dakota pipeline had been halted. But their victory may be short lived.
The following day, Reuters published an article detailing the upcoming Trump administration plans for Native American lands.
Reservations contain 20% of the nations oil, gas and coal reserves, despite covering just 2% of United States. Now, President-elect Trump’s advisors wants to privatize those lands, destroying over a century of policy protecting Native American tribes’ governing the territories as sovereign nations.
“We should take tribal land away from public treatment,” said Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and co-chair of Trump’s Native American Affairs Coalition. “As long as we can do it without unintended consequences, I think we will have broad support around Indian country.”