Mni wiconi - Water is life

Chapter 15

"The bulldozers, they are on their way!" Breathlessly, a boy who had barely reached adulthood came to a halt in front of the supply tent. His chest rose and fell irregularly. The boy swayed on his feet, and it looked as if he would fall over from exhaustion in the next moment.

Leo wrapped an arm around his back. "Take a deep breath. Then tell us everything from the beginning." He nodded to Maggie and some of the other Lakota who were keeping the camp tidy. His aunt, in particular, looked at the boy with concern until he had calmed down enough to speak without gasping.

"The oil company is sending its bulldozers to raze the burial site our historian has just discovered to the ground."

Angry shouts rang out from all sides. Leo could feel the blood rushing through his veins and his muscles tensing under his shirt. This time the whites had gone too far. Their disrespect should be punished. And he wasn't the only one who seemed to think like this, judging by the reaction of those present.

Maggie raised her hands and tried to get everyone's attention. "I know the news is getting under everyone's skin, but I beg you not to do anything rash now." Her words were drowned out by a howl of war from a large number of men and women.

An icy shiver ran down Leo's spine, making him tremble. The anger of the activists seemed to manifest itself in the air. A weight that tried to push him to the ground. Stitches in his lungs took his breath away. He heard horses neighing in fright. Clattering hooves moved away.

"Please stay calm," Maggie tried to reassure them. "We will find a diplomatic solution."

"They are not interested in a diplomatic solution," a man shouted. "They just want to impose their will, as they have done for centuries."

"When they built Lake Oahe, they did not care that our ancestors were buried there either. They will disturb the peace of the dead because only Indians are buried there. In their eyes, we are just cockroaches to be trampled on," someone agreed with him.

"They are no better than the Nazis in the Second World War," shouted a woman. "First they put our families on reservations, then they took away their food. All that's left is for them to gas us."

"They have been using us as guinea pigs for decades anyway. Through uranium mining or poverty. Research subjects on how radioactivity and despair affect an isolated community."

Leo clenched his fists. The activists spoke the truth. The tribes were oppressed, left to their own devices after everything had been taken from them. In some cases, even their language and culture. Only Indians who lived according to the standards of the whites were given the right to live. But only a second-class right. Because of the color of their skin.

He turned away and walked to his car. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Emily scurrying after him. She sat in the back seat, leaving the passenger seat to his grandfather. Leo sighed cautiously. He wasn't going to get rid of the woman that easily. At least not today.

"Emily." The old Lakota half-turned to her as soon as Leo had driven off. "Stick with my grandson. The oil company has gone too far this time. Things could escalate today. You should not put yourself in danger."

"That it escalates like with the water cannons?" The white woman snorted in annoyance. "It is unacceptable that the residents of Standing Rock continue to be deceived and mistreated like this. I have to show the world how the United States treats the actual inhabitants of the country. In distant countries, we pose as the police, as saviors in times of need. But what is happening on our own doorstep? Misery, discrimination, outright racism. And everything is swept under the carpet."