Past Rhetoric's Impact: Peltier's Eco-Rhetoric in 2015

I’ve wondered numerous times throughout our readings on Native American rhetoricians whether or not their activism and rhetoric has had much effect on this country. So naturally, I took this thought process into our reading of Peltier’s rhetoric. The essay does a specific job of not informing the reader of the outcome of the mining company’s efforts to mine for uranium.

 

But, does it really have to be explicitly stated? Not really, because lo and behold the government and the corporation won out, and now have over 1,000 uranium wells on Pine Ridge Reservation. However, the story does not end here.

 

I was really interested in Peltier’s environmental rhetoric. He wrote, “to protect the land, water, and air from their thefts and depredations. In this sad and tragic era we live in, to come to the defense of Mother Earth is to be branded a criminal” (114 emphasis added). My first impression when reading this was that Peltier was using the constructed “Indian” to rhetorically appeal to his white audience (i.e. that as an Indian he is more connected to nature stereotype). But when I pulled up an article after searching “uranium mine on Lakota land,” I found a possible connection between Peltier’s rhetoric of the time playing out in present day America.

 

The article, entitled “Lakota Women and Ranchers Lead Charge to Break Silence Against Uranium Mine,” focused primarily on Lakota activist Debra White Plum. She opposes the uranium mine, which is seeking a renewal to continue the mining process as well as an expansion to three more sites this year. Her main argument is that the Crow Butte Resources (CBR) are poisoning the water supply on the reservation. The article claims, “this intersection of frontier America and Native resistance is a battleground in the war between environmental advocates and energy corporations, only this time allies from all sides are joining forces in the effort to protect their water.”

 

So, even though it is not explicitly stated, I believe Peltier’s environmental rhetoric has actually informed a “Native resistance” against the uranium mine. Peltier’s major contribution (I believe) was securing environmental allies through his environmental rhetoric. The article mentions that non-Native advocates have joined the side of the Lakota activists using a specific angle that Peltier stated in his rhetorical memoir—water.

 

According to the article, the CBR has tapped into the Ogallala aquifer, which is “considered the largest, underground freshwater source in the world.” The uranium mines use the water as a form of fracking to extract the uranium. In the article there is a picture of a group of activist (including White Plum) holding a sign that says “Ecocide Genocide.” The specific use of “Genocide” coincides with the rhetoric that Peltier uses, which included “termination… Nazi… ‘final solution’… eradicate us” (116).

 

I have finally found what appears to be a direct connection to rhetoric used in the past inform the rhetorical actions of today. It would be interesting, to say the least, to contact Debra White Plum and ask if she has read Peltier’s work. Chances are she has and potential knew/knows him.