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'Cowboy Indian Alliance' Will Ride To D.C. For 'Reject And Protect' Keystone XL Protest

The Huffington Post | by Brianna ElliottPosted: 03/11/2014 4:22 pm EDT Updated: 03/11/2014 4:59 pm EDT

AP keystone pipeline protest mar 140422 16x9 608 Cowboys and Indians Ride Through DC to Protest Keystone XL Pipeline

Reject and Protect Keystone XlTransCanadaReject and Protect ProtestKeystone Xl OppositionKeystone Xl April ProtestsKeystone PipelineBill McKibbenIndigenous Tribes Keystone XlReject and Protect Campaign

Another major anti-Keystone XL protest will hit Washington, D.C. in April, and it's bringing together two unlikely allies.

On April 22, the Cowboy Indian Alliance -- a group of of ranchers, farmers and tribal communities living along the proposed route of the Alberta to Nebraska oil pipeline -- is going to ride to Washington, D.C. and set up camp near the White House for their"Reject and Protect" campaign. They'll host anti-Keystone XL events for several days, and will conclude their stay with a march to the White House on April 27. The Alliance has encouraged thousands of activists to participate, and welcomes any allies to join them.

This rally gives a voice to the communities that would be most impacted by Keystone XL, and their message is clear -- to protect land, water and climate now and for future generations. The Keystone XL would cross several rivers and the Ogallala Aquifer, which would put wildlife, public water supplies and croplands in danger if a spill were to occur, according to the National Wildlife Federation.

“Dirty tar sands threaten our climate, and they threaten the health and well-being of the people who live along the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline route," said Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune in a press release. "For these families, nothing short of their water, land, and their children's safety is at stake.”

The State Department -- which is responsible for approving or rejecting the 800,000 barrel per day pipeline because it crosses an international border -- recently ended a final 30-day public comment period. Activists have mounted increasing pressure on the Obama administration to reject the project, delivering over two million commentson March 7 following a series of mass arrests in front of the White House earlier that week.

Cowboys and Indians Ride Through DC to Protest Keystone XL Pipeline

By Arlette Saenz
@ArletteSaenz
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Apr 22, 2014 5:09pm

(Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo)

Cowboys and Indians riding on horseback marched through the nation’s capital today in protest against the Keystone XL Pipeline.

Dressed in native headdresses and cowboy hats, the activists started on horseback at the reflecting pool in front of the Capitol and marched through downtown DC. They ended their march at an encampment which featured tipis on the National Mall. The Indigo Girls performed while the group built an additional ceremonial tipi on the grounds of the National Mall.

“We’re here to show Obama, to show Washington DC the very faces of the people that the decision of the KXL pipeline represents,” Dallas Goldtooth, one of the activists from the Cowboy and Indian Alliance, a coalition of farmers, ranchers and Native American leaders, told a crowd on the mall. “These people represent families, they represent communities, they represent entire nations, so they’re here to bring their stories here to say no to the Keystone XL pipeline and to all pipelines.”

The Cowboy and Indian Alliance and other groups will be in Washington, D.C. through the weekend as a part of “Reject and Protect” week, holding a variety of events, including ritual water ceremonies on the National Mall and outside the home of Secretary of State John Kerry, to protest the Keystone XL Pipeline. Actress Daryl Hannah is expected to join the group later this week.

Here’s a look at some of the photos from the day:

Photo Essay: "Cowboys and Indians" Against Keystone XL Bring Newfound Unity to DC

Tuesday, 29 April 2014 09:50By Kristin Moe, Yes! Magazine | Report

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Last week, members of the Cowboy Indian Alliance—a coalition of tribal members, ranchers, and landowners from the Great Plains—camped out on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., united in one cause: opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline.

Finding common cause over protection of clean water and a mistrust of the Canadian pipeline company Transcanada, they came to meet with elected officials, connect with allies, and strengthen relationships with one another. Some, like Texas landowner Lori Collins, already have the completed portion of the pipeline running through their fields. Others who live along the path of the northern segment, which is yet to be approved, hope that a strategic partnership between natives and settlers will help prevent the same thing from happening to them.

Last Friday, President Obama announced another delay to the project. While some are frustrated by the lack of leadership, others see it as a reason to hope. As one rancher told me this morning, "Every day is a victory."

All photographs by Kristin Moe.

The indigenous contingent of the Cowboy and Indian Alliance lines up for the opening ceremony.

Indigenous members of the Cowboy Indian Alliance in front of the U.S. Capitol.

Lori Collins from Lake Creek, Texas. The southern leg of Keystone XL, which began operating earlier this year, crosses her land.

Participants exchange gifts at the opening ceremony, welcoming visitors to Piscataway traditional territory.

Nebraska landowner Bob Allpress presents a gift to Chief Billy "Red Wing" Tayac of the Piscataway nation. Washington, D.C., was originally Piscataway territory.

Sierra Club Executive Director Mike Brune (near center, in suit), joins members of the Cowboy and Indian Alliance at their camp.

Indigenous members of the Cowboy Indian Alliance demonstrate in front of the U.S. Capitol.

Cowboy and Indian Alliance leaders Casey Camp Horinek (at left) and Faith Spotted Eagle (second from left, in sunglasses) join Crystal Lameman (at right) from the Beaver Lake Cree First Nation in Alberta, Canada. Together, they represent tribes from regions all along the path of Keystone XL.