"I plan to do whatever i can to show my support to those defending the water, land, and sovereignty of the indigenous peoples of the world." Wes Studi

"I’ll be here as long as possible to show my support for the movement."

Oil pipe lines have a notorious record, with oil companies covering up the numerous spills that have occurred over the years. Despite the inherent dangers, they continue to build pipe lines, threating the lives and livelihood of those near the pipeline and down stream.

Severely increasing the danger of a pipeline spill in Standing Rock is the fact the pipeline would be built under the Missouri River, a water supply for millions of people. Studi warns indigenous people living closer to the environment will be the first to be affected by water contaminated by energy extraction, but those living further removed, in cities, will not escape the effects if companies continue poisoning our world at the same rate. The Studi men are calling on the oil industry and world to make better energy choices.

I believe this demonstration could be the beginning of a worldwide movement to begin the end of fossil fuel use, and the start of a more focused search finding a different source of power and energy. It’s time we as people begin to phase out fossil fuels in favor of energy production less detrimental to our environment. Oil companies could use their wealth to research more and different alternative energy for our use. There is only so much oil to be found in our earth, and its extraction through fracking has been the cause of increased earthquake activity throughout the US, if not the whole world.

We can only hope corporate and government powers can work together toward these ends. But we must first put a stop to the practice of uncontrolled greed and accumulation of goods, material, resources and money.


Anyone who's willing should be able to support as much as possible. It's not just a matter of indigenous people losing anything here in terms of fresh water; to be able to trust the water not being contaminated by oil leaks and such. What's at stake here is actually the contamination of worldwide water.


Indigenous people from the Amazon who are having huge problems with companies down there with the same thing have joined the movement. They seem to realize that, yes, it's not just indigenous peoples that are against the energy transfer, pipeline, it's a worldwide concern. Anybody who's actually breathing air and drinking water has something at stake here. That's all there is to it.

As Told By Wes Studi : Wesley "Wes" Studi (born December 17, 1947) is a Cherokee actor and film producer from Nofire Hollow in Oklahoma.