Centering Indigenous Approaches for a Better Cultural Resource Management: Lessons from the Dakota Access Pipeline

Abstract

The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) has been one of the most nationally publicized of all protested pipelines in the United States. Since protests began at Standing Rock in November 2016, injustices to the natural and cultural environment inflicted by its construction have been scrutinized by the public, the media, archaeologists, and perhaps most of all, by Tribal nations residing in this area and throughout the United States. In this article, I focus specifically on the ways that the cultural resource management (CRM) process was manipulated and abused to benefit the monetary goals of Dakota Access, LLC and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) over the interests and needs of Indigenous peoples. Following this discussion, I propose foregrounding the suggestions of Tribal nations through greater collaboration with these groups and changes to the archaeological legislation, both of which will lead to greater transparency and inclusivity in CRM.