‘Pipelines and Indigenous Communities’ three-day conference this weekend

The conference “Pipelines and Indigenous Communities: Extractive Infrastructures & Water-Dependent Livelihoods” will be held this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, March 18-20.

It will be held online only. Participation is free.

“This gathering will bring together Indigenous citizens and environmental leaders, Water Protectors, artists, and researchers from the Arctic, Siberia, and Upper Midwest Great Lakes regions to share experiences, explore knowledge, and discuss resistance strategies concerned with pipeline development,” organizers said.

Register here.

Organizers have a full agenda!

Friday’s events include:

• Keynote panel discussing Enbridge’s Line 3 and Line 5. Panelists are: Paul DeMain, Beatrice Jackson, Dawn Goodwin, Gina Peltier, Nathan Wright, Jaime Arsenault, and Sasha Beaulieu.
• Keynote Presentation: “Indigenous Peoples of Russia: Legal Status and Rights,” with Tatiana Degai, Itelmen community member, Assistant professor, University of Victoria. Moderator: Varvara Korkina Williams.
• Feature Film: Every Step a Prayer: From the Trail of Broken Treaties to the Longest Walk, by Augustin Ganley.
• Talking Circles

Saturday’s events include:

• Water Protector, Artist, & Academic Workshops
• Two sessions on “A view from Russian Indigenous Territories,” that will include speaker who address Infrastructure Violence and Arctic Social-Ecological Systems; Pipelines, Rivers and Salmon in Kamchatka, Russia; and case studies in Social Movements Against Pipelines
• Two sessions on “A view from Great Lakes Indigenous Territories,” which will include: a discussion of Treaties and the Rights of Manoomin, moderated by Wright. Speakers will be: Frank Bibeau, Dan Himmond, and Ray Whitehawk St. Claire. It also will include Ron Turney speaking on Frac-outs, Drones, and Environmental Monitoring.
• Live Performance of Title Track “Sacred Water” by Amy Athene (Myszko)
• Feature Film: Food that Grows on Water, directed by Gabriel Cowan
• What Enbridge Learned from Standing Rock & the Ghost of Cointelpro
• Actions Around the Great Lakes Roundtable
• Sunday:

Sunday’s events will focus on Line 5 Strategic Planning

Full agenda and list of speakers here.

The event is sponsored by: Niibi Center; American Indian Studies at UMD; ARCTICenter at the University of Northern Iowa; and Community Engagement Exchange Program.