This letter was submitted to Washington Post but not accepted. It has been sent to Standing Rock Tribal
Legal Defense Team at their request.
Letter opposing DAPL and the impact on psychological well-being.
The Society of Indian Psychologists reaffirms its opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline. The scholars,
researchers, teachers and clinicians of the Society of Indian Psychologists (SIP) note with significant
concern that the Trump administration has chosen to ignore the actions of the court, Corps of
Engineers, the citizens and government of Standing Rock, and the Water Protectors by proceeding with
the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) and resurrecting the Keystone Pipeline proposal that was rejected as
undesirable several years ago. We oppose both pipelines on the grounds that they will encroach on the
water and land of several Native American reservations that were granted to Native American people by
treaty, and will desecrate sites that are clearly sacred to Native people. The Keystone Pipeline, for
example, may encroach on the sacred site of Wounded Knee.
In addition to our concerns, over 200 scientists have shared their expert opinions that the danger of the
DAPL not only affects the reservation lands but the delicate ecosystems relied upon by millions of
people who live downstream on the Missouri River and who depend on the river for their drinking water
and their livelihood. In addition, science was used to make a previous determination that the Keystone
Pipeline would be harmful as well. It is important to understand that DAPL and Keystone affect more
than Native Americans communities but also millions of communities on or near the rivers and
pipelines.
In the U.S. Native people have already suffered tremendous losses due to forced relocation,
assimilation, and many acts of discrimination. Those historical events have contributed to many mental
health issues among Native people today. Forcing pipelines on people who do not desire them on their
reservations and treaty lands re-traumatizes a population that has endured and survived significant
mistreatment in this society and will increase psychological distress. In the context of the Native
American worldview, drilling through land and under water that is sacred to the people is considered a
desecration of the highest order, and continues a pattern of calculated assault on Native American
spiritual beliefs that has contributed to great psychological harm to Native American people including
those at Standing Rock.
The Standing Rock people have been subject to unspeakable oppression and traumatic loss related to
assimilation practices such as forced relocation of children from their families to boarding schools for
years at a time, and the violation of treaty rights over and over again, including with the current pipeline
project. Indeed health care providers at the Standing Rock encampments have reported that violations
of land, water, and tribal sovereignty granted by treaty, coercive practices by authorities to dissuade
Water Protectors, and violent aggression by authorities attempting to strong arm Water Protectors with
tear gas and rubber bullets have triggered debilitating instances of “re-experiencing” of trauma that
commonly occurs when people who have been traumatized are then re-traumatized. These violations
have also been linked to episodes of post-traumatic stress reactions and acute anxiety. In addition, the
research clearly indicates that psychological trauma has been linked to increased substance abuse
among Native American communities, and furthermore, trauma and substance abuse have been
strongly associated with suicidal behavior, very distressing when considering that Native American
people, and youth and young adults in particular, tend to be at significant risk for suicide. As a
professional psychological association representing Native Americans, we strongly oppose further
psychological harm as a consequence of the DAPL project and the renewed violation of the Standing
Rock people they represent.
We call upon the current administration to respect Native American treaty rights and civil rights, respect
the water and land and its sacredness, and protect the health of Native people and downstream
communities by withdrawing supporting for this potentially dangerous and desecrating pipeline. We call
on you to reconsider the proposal given the seriousness of the threats to the health and mental health
of American Indian populations, the high probability of a costly cleanup should a pipeline fail (as we
have recently seen in Iowa, North Dakota, and Saskatchewan), and with respect to treating all citizens
justly.
Art Blume, Ph.D., President, Society of Indian Psychologists
Gayle Skawennio Morse, Ph.D., President-elect, Society of Indian Psychologists
