LIKSJUON SÁMIEN SIÄBRRIE
att. Gammplatsen
921 32 Likssjuo
Sápmie
SWEDEN
The 20th of August, 2016
Dave Archambault II, Chairman
Tȟokȟála Ohítika
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
P.O. Box D
Fort Yates, ND 58538
The United States of America
Dear Chairman Archambault II,
We, Liksjuon Sámien Siäbrrie, the Saami Association of Likssjuo, address you from the banks of the Ubmeje River which has been our home for thousands of years, to proclaim that we stand in solidarity with our Indigenous sisters and brothers at Standing Rock, as they protect the life-giving waters of Wakpá Mní Šóta that are currently being threatened by the planned construction of the Dakota Access Pipe Line.
Water is sacred, a belief that we as Saami share with other Indigenous nations around the world. We are deeply concerned by the current news coming out of Dakota, as the proposed pipe line threatens the traditional livelihood of the Sioux Nation, as well as the very basis of life for a large part of the United States.
As Indigenous peoples, it is our duty to protect the Earth and care for her for our future generations, and thus we support the continued peaceful protests for environmental and human rights to land and water carried out by members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and their allies. Furthermore, we urge the Government of the United States to uphold the Treaty Rights of Fort Laramie 1851, with regards to land rights, education and civil rights.
We wish to underline that we share the concerns expressed by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, with regards to the effect the Dakota Access Pipe Line would have on burials, sacred sites and cultural resources, and we acknowledge that once again, a neo-colonial company has chosen to ignore the will of an Indigenous People in order to line their own pockets, a pattern all too familiar around the world.
In solidarity,
Liksjuon Sámien Siäbrrie
Liksjuon Sámiensiäbrrie 