Ep447 - Chase Iron Eyes | The Indigenous Response to Environmental Assaults
May 17, 2024
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Chase Iron Eyes, a Native American rights attorney, discusses fighting oil pipelines at Standing Rock, the spiritual importance of water in Indigenous beliefs, and the need for environmental activism. He emphasizes reconnecting with ancestral practices, embracing culture for change, and the challenges of combining activism and political aspirations. Legal updates on rights struggles and the ethical shift in capitalism are also explored.
Efforts to prevent oil pipelines at Standing Rock, challenges in defending water protectors from prison.
Historical context of reservations, importance of fighting for liberation and preserving cultural heritage.
Sacred connection to water in indigenous cosmology, emphasizing interconnectedness of all water sources.
Deep dives
Chase Iron Eyes and Efforts to Stop Oil Pipelines
Chase Iron Eyes discusses ongoing efforts to prevent oil pipelines at Standing Rock, reveals corporate infiltration of anti-pipeline protests, and efforts to keep arrested water protectors free from prison. Iron Eyes utilized his career as an attorney to advocate for Native American civil rights.
Growing Up on a Reservation and Historical Context
Iron Eyes describes growing up on the Standing Rock Reservation, highlighting the historical context of reservations and the impact of colonization on indigenous communities, emphasizing the significance of fighting for liberation and preserving cultural heritage.
The Sacredness of Water and Indigenous Cosmology
Iron Eyes delves into the sacred connection to water in indigenous cosmology, exploring the origin of water from a creation story and emphasizing the interconnectedness of all water sources. He underscores the importance of acknowledging water as a fundamental element in their cultural belief system.
Challenges Faced by Indigenous Communities
Iron Eyes addresses the challenges faced by indigenous communities, including poverty, historical oppression, and the struggle for basic rights and dignity. He highlights the resilience and hope inherent in these communities, focusing on the ongoing fight for environmental protection and cultural preservation.
Advocacy, Legal Issues, and Public Engagement
Iron Eyes discusses the legal challenges and advocacy work in defending water protectors, emphasizing the need for public support and engagement to ensure justice and prevent the criminalization of peaceful protesters. He calls for unity, compassion, and active participation in shaping a more just and sustainable future.
Chase Iron Eyes visits Google to discuss ongoing efforts to prevent oil pipelines from being built at Standing Rock, recent revelations of corporate infiltration of anti-pipeline protests, and attempts to keep arrested water protectors free from prison.
Chase has used his career as an attorney to advocate for Native American civil rights. He has served as a staff attorney for the Lakota People's Law Project, an initiative founded in 2005 with the purpose of ending the unlawful practice of removing Lakota children from their families and placing them in foster care outside their communities. In the summer of 2016, he joined with other anti-pipeline protesters near Standing Rock to resist the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline.