June 21, 2016 – Unicorn Riot interviewed Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) Organizer Dallas Goldtooth about the ongoing #KeepItInTheground Campaign, the need for environmental movements to focus on anti-extraction, and the history of indigenous resistance to extraction.

Below the full interview has been recorded for replay:

Dallas spoke about how ‘Keep it in the Ground‘ is a narrative that began conveying concerns of this grassroots and indigenous fight before it was a ‘campaign’ or ‘movement.’ He spoke about the campaign being largely run by ‘big green organizations’ and how the coalition of national groups are focusing on stopping the federal leasing of lands for oil and gas companies.

He later spoke about the daunting task of fighting fossil fuel extraction.

“The pipeline fight is related to the extraction fight.  Whether it’s in the Bakken region or the Tar Sands region, or whether it’s in Pennsylvania, all these different oil fields … what we’re trying to do is trying to connect those narratives to really bring together all those communities … and uplift the need for us to advocate for systems change overall.” – Dallas Goldtooth

Dallas spoke to the future of indigenous resistance against fossil fuel extraction.

“No matter come what may, as indigenous folks, as indigenous peoples we have to still adhere to our original instructions…to reestablish and reconnect and renew our relationship to Mother Earth. In that process resistance is born out of that.” – Dallas Goldtooth

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