The United States has waged a long war against Native Americans. That war continues with abandoned uranium mines and poisoned water in South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. In this episode of teleSUR’s “Days of Revolt,” Chris Hedges and Native American activists Charmaine White Face and Petuuche Gilbert discuss the exploitation of natural resources and how to combat the devastating violations on indigenous lives and land.

“I think the public at large is still naive about this nuclear reactive poison,” explains Gilbert, vice president of the Laguna Acoma Coalition for a Safe Environment. “So education needs to be done. But then it’s also convincing the community to rise up against their politicians, against their leadership.”

White Face, a coordinator for the Defenders of the Black Hills, agrees.

“Educating — and where I live, educating allies. Wasicu [wah-SHEE-chu], we call white people, wasicu, allies, so that they can start getting involved,” she says. “Because where I come from, our state — the U.S. Civil Rights Commission said South Dakota’s the most racist state in the union. And so who’s going to listen to me? I’m just a little old brown Indian woman. Nobody’s going to listen to me, despite the fact I’m a scientist and I know what I’m talking about. So we enlist allies. … They bring in more, and then we, our organization, we back out and we start on another one.”

Watch the full interview posted by The Real News below.

–Posted by Eric Ortiz

WAIT BEFORE YOU GO...

This year, the ground feels uncertain — facts are buried and those in power are working to keep them hidden. Now more than ever, independent journalism must go beneath the surface.

At Truthdig, we don’t just report what's happening — we investigate how and why. We follow the threads others leave behind and uncover the forces shaping our future.

Your tax-deductible donation fuels journalism that asks harder questions and digs where others won’t.

Don’t settle for surface-level coverage.

Unearth what matters. Help dig deeper.

Donate now.

SUPPORT TRUTHDIG