Furman alum, Standing Rock youth present Dakota Access Pipeline program

2012 Furman History and Asian Studies graduate Phillip “Tex” Stewart and four students from Standing Rock High School (Ft. Yates, N.D.) will present a program about the Dakota Access Pipeline Thursday, April 20, at 7 p.m. in Daniel Memorial Chapel on campus.

The program, “Culture and Controversy: Standing Rock Youth and the Dakota Access Pipeline,” is free and open to the public.

Stewart and four students from Standing Rock High School, where Stewart is a teacher and coach, will discuss Lakota Sioux culture and how the Dakota Access Pipeline is impacting their community and way of life. The talk will be followed by a traditional dance performance, commentary, and Q & A.

The talk is sponsored by Furman Departments of History, Religion, Asian Studies, and Politics and International Affairs; the Riley Institute; the Shi Center for Sustainability; Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives in Student Life; Environmental Action Group and several student-led campus organizations. The event is part of Furman’s Cultural Life Program.

Furman Religion Professor Helen Lee Turner will offer commentary about the clash of cultures the pipeline has precipitated. Turner teaches Native American Religions, leads Furman student groups in trips to reservations, and conducts research on the encounter between traditional indigenous and contemporary Anglo cultures.

For more information contact Savita Nair, James B. Duke Associate Professor of Asian Studies and History, at savita.nair@furman.edu, 864-294-3332. Or contact the News and Media Relations office at 864-294-3107.