A unique grassy terrain in the center of the Black Hills is at the center of a local debate on drilling activity. For Oceti Sakowin (Lakota, Dakota and Nakoda) people, Pe’ Sla is an incredibly sacred site. It aligns with the constellations at various points in the year and is a focal point of oral history. The site is located in the heart of the Black Hills in western South Dakota, roughly 50 miles west of Rapid City. It’s visually unique, a relatively flat large grassy piece of plains devoid of any trees in the middle of a vast mountainous landscape. “Pe’ Sla is a site that, in our oral history and tradition, has always been deeply connected to the way that we interact with our ancestors, with the universe, with existence itself, with the cosmos,” said Taylor Gunhammer, local organizer of NDN Collective’s Protect the He Sapa Campaign. “It’s not coincidental that at particular times of the year, star constellations align with our sacred sites, it’s not rooted in whimsy or fancy. This is history.” While much of Pe’ Sla is private property, it’s surrounded by forest service land, which is subject to various types of mining claims and proposals, and a newly proposed exploratory drilling project for graphite near Pe’ Sla is causing alarm amongst both Black Hills locals and Indigenous people. #NDNCollective #LANDBACK #ProtectTheHesapa #ProtectPeSla (fb)

THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone, from all over Turtle Island and beyond, for raising your voice to protect the Lakota sacred site Pe’ Sla. In just 37 days, we worked together to pull in *over 2,100 comments. 🎉 While the public comment period for Pete Lien & Sons’ proposed Rochford Mineral Exploratory Drilling Project (RMEDP) ended on Friday, May 16th, there is still more work to do! Here is how you can help: ➡️ Call the offices of South Dakota elected officials - Mike Rounds, Dusty Johnson, & John Thune - to deliver a brief message calling for the protection of Pe’ Sla. Tips: Be respectful. You’re talking to an employee, not the boss. Never, ever be threatening, make threats, or use abusive language. They are public servants, and YOUR taxes pay their salaries! Suggested Call Script: “Hello, I’m a concerned citizen calling to say that I deeply opposed the Pete Lien & Sons’ drilling project at the sacred site Pe’ Sla (“pay-SHLAH”) and I expect all South Dakota lawmakers to take action to stop it. The project is immoral, illegal, and a threat to the Rapid Creek watershed, which the People fought hard to protect last year. Lien & Sons should withdraw their project immediately and apologize to all the Tribes whose history they seek to destroy. Stop this project now. Thank you for your time.” Who To Call: Senator Mike Rounds, SD (605) 224-1450 (Pierre Office) Senator John Thune, SD (605) 348-7551 (Rapid City Office) Rep. Dusty Johnson, SD (605) 646-6454 (Rapid City office) PROTECT PE’ SLA - PHASE 2. LET’S GO RELATIVES !!! ✊🏽 (fb)