The golden dream of “Black Gold” turned the ancestral land of the New Town Tribes, in the US state of North Dakota, into an environmental and social nightmare. The massive extraction of oil left its devastating mark, threatening the subsistence of these indigenous communities and the enrichment of 13% of the tribe, challenging the preservation of their sacred traditions. Behind the shine of the oil, a dark panorama is hidden that deserves to be revealed.
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North Dakota, in the United States, is known for its vast oil reserves, a boon for the state’s economy but a curse for the indigenous tribes that have inhabited the region for centuries.
Among these tribes are the members of the Nation Three Affiliated Tribesalso known as the New Town Tribe, who experienced a devastating impact from oil production on their ancestral lands.
The massive extraction of oil managed to enrich 13% of those who are part of the tribe in which 17,000 people live.
However, for 15 years, when the first extractions were made, the residents of the sacred territory have been surrounded by an infertile landscape, desert, empty and with abandoned oil wells created by means of the oil drilling technique. fracking.
Oil drilling and extraction have caused a wide range of environmental problems, including water and air pollution. Oil spills and chemicals used in production negatively affected the natural resources essential for the survival of the tribes. Traditional agriculture was compromised due to environmental degradation.
While oil production might be expected to bring economic benefits to the New Town Tribe, in many cases the benefits were limited and uneven and lead to questioning the decision-making of the MHA (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation) for not prioritizing issues such as health, since residents must drive three hours to get to the nearest hospital.
The history of America’s Indian tribes has been marked by a long series of injustices and challenges, and oil production has only exacerbated these problems. Tribal leaders and indigenous rights advocates have fought for years to have their rights respected and a greater say in decisions affecting their lands.
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