The Cheyenne River Sioux Nation in South Dakota is apparently a people of few words.
Cheyenne River received a letter from the TransCanada corporation on Wednesday, alerting it to upcoming work on Keystone XL, a tar sands crude oil pipeline that will run from Alberta, Canada to Texas, crossing South Dakota and other states along the way.
The letter included a disingenuous passage about how TransCanada cares about indigenous rights.
TransCanada recognizes Tribal Nations as rightsholders who have a distinct relationship with the land. We appreciate the concern that local Tribal Leadership and community members may have with the increased activities throughout Montana and South Dakota, and welcome the opportunity to discuss further. …
Harold C. Frazier, chairman of Cheyenne River, responded to TransCanada the next day with a letter of only four words:
We will be waiting.
Images of the correspondence follow.
