As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock

Abstract

This book is not a work of academic history. Rather, it is a call to action on behalf of indigenous environmental justice. The call, however, is deeply grounded in the histories and legacies of settler colonialism and the nonnative environmental movement. Understanding this past, the author believes, is fundamental to reshaping the future. Dina Gilio-Whitaker (of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation) maintains that European colonization was a process of invasion, domination, dispossession, and environmental injustice. The consequent relocation and displacement stripped indigenous peoples of their homelands and crushed (without thoroughly extinguishing) their distinctive ways of conceptualizing land and nature. Where Europeans saw property and dominion, native people saw relationship, responsibility, and reciprocity. Although the emergence of a twenthieth-century American environmental movement offered opportunities to rethink exploitation and join forces with indigenous peoples, white supremacy and cultural misunderstandings often evoked conflict rather than cooperation. These factors made alliance building challenging. Further, poverty in many native communities meant tribal governments faced a dilemma: provide jobs and feed their people but violate protective land ethics and endanger families’ health.