![]() Moreover, requests for locations of sacred sites or culturally important places that could be affected by the pipeline were narrow requests that did not cover the range of concerns that native peoples had. There was some hesitation for the tribe’s leaders to weigh in on a highly politicized issue while trying to build a consensus around federal recognition.Įmanuel: When developers reached out to tribes it was too late to make a difference in planning decisions. Recommendations and best practices of the federal government advise permitting agencies to consult with native peoples regardless of their federal recognition status, but the letter of the law only compels agencies to consult with tribes that have federal recognition.Īgencies that ignore these recommendations, and stick to the minimum legal standard, are creating barriers for state-recognized tribes that may have a big stake in the outcome, but can’t get their foot in the door.ĭuring the pipeline planning, the Lumbee Tribe was in the middle of a federal recognition bid. Most of the Native Americans in North Carolina belong to non-federally recognized tribes. TA: What were some of the obstacles faced by the Lumbee to participating in pipeline planning?Įmanuel: It’s hard to talk about Native American issues in the Southeast without considering the interests of non-federally recognized tribes. This place, with its gorgeous night sky, would have experienced light pollution from a telecomm tower and aviation beacon included in the station plan. The terminus in Prospect would have included a large above ground metering station where the pipeline would have tied into the rest of the eastern N.C. ![]() Prospect is one of the oldest and most prominent Lumbee communities. TA: Were there other concerns about the pipeline raised by tribes in North Carolina?Įmanuel: Whether or not the developers planned it, the route they chose through North Carolina would have been through traditional and contemporary areas of three tribes: the Lumbee, Coharie and Haliwa-Saponi.įor Lumbee people, one of the biggest impacts would have come from the decision to put the southern terminus in Prospect, a rural community in Robeson County. Today, we honor that past by taking care of swamps and wetlands in any way that we can. There’s a long colonial record of outside powers unable to navigate through this region, getting lost, or chalking up our territory in eastern North Carolina to one giant swamp where no one would want to go. The Abstract: Historically, what is the significance of water to the Lumbee?Įmanuel: In Lumbee history, our people were isolated because the terrain was inhospitable to outsiders. How do we ask for and obtain consent from the river? What does it mean to learn that someone is planning to harm a loved one in this way whether you like it or not? Native American tribes across North America and Indigenous peoples throughout the world often conceptualize rivers as beings. This is a common sentiment expressed not just in my tribe. This ties in a belief that some indigenous people hold of water as a being. Removing wetland forests also has implications for water temperature.Ĭumulatively, all of those things combine to change the aquatic environment in ways that are detrimental to plants, animals and people who rely on the water for various purposes. Other impacts come from clear-cutting of forested wetlands adjacent to streams near pipeline crossings. As you dig trenches and disturb the land, you increase sedimentation, which can drastically alter stream environments. TA: What were some of the potential impacts of the pipeline for water that concerned members of tribes in North Carolina?Įmanuel: Many of the water impacts would have occurred during construction. The Abstract spoke to Emanuel about the case study: In the journal Water, Ryan Emanuel, a professor at North Carolina State University and Lumbee Tribe member, co-authored a case study that evaluated the potential impacts the pipeline would have had on water quality and the challenges faced by Indigenous people in North Carolina during pipeline planning. The now-canceled Atlantic Coast Pipeline project would have crossed streams and wetlands important to Indigenous people in North Carolina, raising concerns from tribes about negative impacts to water quality and how their voices were unheard in pipeline planning.
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