Blog: Cowboys and Indians take a stand against Keystone XL

On April 22, 2014, the dozen or so leather-booted ranchers mounted their horses and lined up in the midday sun. Facing them were an equal number of American Indians, in the regalia of tribes from across the U.S. The two groups stood still, waiting for the signal. Around them, the crowd cheered, photographers snapped photos, and in the background loomed the dome of the U.S. Capitol.

But this was no showdown. Nor was it – despite the banners that said “No Tar Sands, No KXL” – a protest. This was the opening ceremony of Reject and Protect, a five-day gathering of the Cowboy Indian Alliance: a coalition of tribal members, ranchers, and landowners which over the past forty years has come together again and again to fight industrial incursions onto their land. This time, the fight is over the Keystone XL pipeline.

The Cowboy Indian Alliance isn’t an anomaly. Across the continent, the fight to stop tar sands – and in particular the fight over Keystone XL – has catalyzed the creation of unlikely coalitions. And increasingly, it’s the “frontline” leaders from the most at-risk communities who are taking the lead.