Bringing the stories of our history and today full circle

Resources: Podcast and Discussion Guide

Podcast interview and this discussion guide was created by Oak Lake Writers’ Society member Sarah Hernandez (Sicangu Lakota).

Author

Nick Estes (Kul Wicasa/Lower Brule)

Book Summary

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s firm opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), an underground conduit that cuts across the Missouri River twice, as it transports 450,000 barrels of crude oil a day from North Dakota to Illinois, thrust the river into public discourse in 2016. However, as Estes points out, Mnisose/The Missouri River has been a source of contention between tribal and federal governments for more than 200 years, beginning with the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the 19th century, followed by the Pick-Sloan Missouri River Basin Project in the 20th century and, most recently, the #NoDAPL Movement in the 21st century.

In Our History is the Future, Estes closely examines this latest example of settler colonialism and the many people and events that prepared the Oceti Sakowin to lead this new movement of Indigenous resistance. Estes’ award-winning book traces two years of Indigenous resistance to capitalism and settler colonialism.

In the aptly titled Our History is the Future, Estes honors this tradition and promotes the intergenerational transfer of Indigenous knowledge by acknowledging the many Dakota, Lakota and Nakota storytellers, writers and scholars who preceded him. In fact, he cites every single writer who appears in the Oak Lake Writers’ Society’s list of recommended reading. The Society commends Estes’ tribally-centered book for celebrating the knowledge and wisdom of his ancestors, and also empowering a new generation of tribal youth to advocate for their people and communities.