The Water Protectors at Standing Rock
Native American Flags at Standing Rock (Pauly Denetclaw)
October 25, 2016
Welcome to episode eight of the Climate, Mind and Behavior Podcast. Each episode, we’ll explore groundbreaking intersections between climate change, resilience, contemplative practice and human behavior.
Pauly Denetclaw is a Native American journalist born and raised in Manuelito, New Mexico. Interested in
writing from a young age, she began her first book at eight years old. Today she is studying mass communication and journalism at the University of New Mexico. Denetclaw is also a Fellow at Generation Justice, where she covers native-based issues through her articles, videos and shows on the local radio station. Denetclaw’s ultimate goal is to write for TIME magazine and be a regular voice on NPR.
Denetclaw was part of a group of Generation Justice representatives who joined the water protectors in Standing Rock earlier this month to stand against the construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline. Denetclaw called me from her home in Albuquerque to tell me what it was like to be part of the largest gathering of indigenous nations in modern American history. We spoke about the conflict between the drive to build the pipeline, the tribes’ connection to their land, water and their traditions, and their fight to protect both.
To learn more about Denetclaw and her work with social justice journalism, visit GenerationJustice.org. Our theme music is composed by Zoë Keating. You can find her music on iTunes or on her website, Zoë Keating.com. The photograph for this episode was provided by Generation Justice.