Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Case Study

Since April 2016, the Standing Rock Sioux tribe in North Dakota have been protesting the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline because it could threaten their only source of water. The most frustrating aspect of this situation is that the tribe was not consulted about the pipeline before the approval of it. They were completely blindsided by this news and are now fighting for their land. Recently, a massive Facebook protest also broke out in support of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe where thousands of people “checked in” at the reservation, some of whom were nowhere near the location, in order to show support and draw attention to what was happening in North Dakota. We’ve seen many protest over the decades concerning laws being passed or construction on sacred ground. Why have these protests become so influential to not only …show more content…
However, minority influence also played a huge role in inspiring the world to take action against this construction and help save their reservation. Minority influence is described as “the case where a minority of group members influences the behavior or beliefs of the majority” (Aronson et al., 2016, p. 248). The Standing Rock Sioux tribe is a minority compared to other groups in the United States, yet they have made a lasting impact on a majority of people. They have influenced the behaviors of people with their protest and now Facebook is being flooded with “check ins” at the reservation. They have brought light to this tragedy and hope that the more people involved the better chances they have of stopping this construction. People who are not in the tribe have come out to the protest in support of stopping this construction and people around the United States have sent prayers their way. The power that a minority group has over the majority is incredible, but why is it they have such