This inquiry leads students through an investigation of questions around Indigenous People’s land rights. Focusing on the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), students explore how disputes over treaties and historical land bases complicate the already contentious issue of resource extraction.
Students are progressively introduced to land rights issues centering on the experiences of Indigenous People. The inquiry begins by presenting information about DAPL, focusing primarily on the details of the pipeline itself and sharing the different perspectives about its construction. Next, students explore the different stakeholders connected to DAPL (and stakeholders of land use, more broadly), allowing them to evaluate the different levers of power influencing how land is used. This set of perspectives is followed by students’ investigation into who is impacted by land use, and the implications for land use, from energy extraction to cultural destruction. In the last supporting question, students address the more complicated question of land ownership and stewardship. The inquiry culminates in students’ construction of arguments in response to the compelling question—Who is responsible to the land?—where they consider the responsibilities of many different stakeholders and re-frame “responsibilities” as legal, cultural, and moral questions.