Corntassel, ᏗᏎᎮᎵᏙᎯ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎠᏁᎯᏯ ᏗᏓᏅᏖᎮᎵᏙᎯ ᎠᎴ ᎤᎾᎵᎪᎯ ᏗᏓᏘᏂᏙᎯ ᎾᎿ University of Victoria in British Columbia, ᎠᏗᏍᎬ ᎾᎿ ᎠᏂᎯᏯ ᎠᏂᏴᏫ ᎾᎿ ᏚᏂᎸᏉᏔᎾ ᏓᎾᏙᎵᎬ ᎾᎿ ᎾᎥ ᏄᎾᏓᎴᏫᏒ ᏂᎦᏓ ᎤᎾᏓᏟᏌᏅ ᎾᎿ Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota ᏧᎾᎵᏍᏕᎸᏗ ᎾᏍᎩᏯ “ᎠᎵᏍᏕᎵᏍᎩ” ᎠᎾᎴᏫᏙᏗᏍᎬ ᎾᎿ Dakota Access Pipeline ᎤᏂᎶᎯᏍᏗ ᏂᎨᏒᎾ ᎾᎥ ᎠᎹ ᎤᏅᏙᏗ ᎤᏂᏁᎲ ᎠᎴ ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ ᎦᏙᎢ.
Corntassel, who is the director of Indigenous Governance and an associate professor at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, said a recent way Indigenous people have honored relationships is when communities came together for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota to serve as “protectors” by preventing the Dakota Access Pipeline from being routed near water sources and tribal lands.