Tara Houska: Couchiching Leader Confronting Extraction, Restoring Truth, and Defending Indigenous Land

By:  Amelia Lind

Up until ninth grade, I had passed through a series of private or alternative schools. As grateful as I am for those privileges, I wish that had not been the case. My knowledge of Indigenous tribes and the injustices built into the systems around us against them is far less than what it should be. For years, I have taken to educating myself, but I truly do not think it will ever be enough. In Washington state, it is written that Native history must be taught in schools. Most of the schools I attended would follow this, but not in a way that was correctly educating the children. Due to this, in ninth grade, I faced a large shock when nearly everything I learned was incorrect and harmful. I had to take it upon myself to educate myself to try to rebuild the opinions I had developed.

Early in my research, I stumbled upon a woman named Tara Houska, who is from the Couchiching tribe and has devoted her life to interrupting projects that disrupt native grounds. She has led a multitude of successful projects and stopped harm from being furthered in her native lands. (1) During her TED Talk, she spoke of not only the environmental harm that is done by installing pipelines, but also how it harms them directly. The main point that I think stuck with me, early on, was the repetition of people just not knowing the reality. That is the truth, and that is what needs to change. (2)

So many people may consider themselves highly educated, reading articles about the damage and past atrocities, but often, there is so much more we do not see. Tara is trying to change that. From an outside perspective, we can only apply what we know. Tara has spoken from someone who has lived the reality and seen the effects. She is advocating for a change, not just environmentally but socially. She has become a participant in something called Resistance camps, which are a space for indigenous people to reconnect with the traditions and practices they know that protect the land. (3) During an interview, Tara stated, “Because it’s not just about Line 3; it’s not just about tar sands—it’s about changing your value system away from an extractive economy into an economy of caring for each other.” (Marsh, 2020) This was in speaking of what the resistance camps were teaching, and its alignment with her activist work against the Line 3 pipeline.

Simply with a story like this, I was able to learn the reality of what Indigenous people face. It is much more deeply rooted than many people on the outside view it as. This environmental destruction we commit is a continuation of the abuse that has occurred against those Native to the lands we live on. My connection to her story is personal, as it was not difficult to learn; all the information is available, and yet people do not do the work to educate themselves. Much of Tara’s work, specifically towards removing harmful symbolism, was described as depressingly comical by her, as much of these things being changed are so apparent, and yet it takes a large resistance group for it to even be considered. (4)

There is rarely such a thing as immediate change in the corporate world, but as resistance has grown over the years, more attention has been drawn. Tara’s work, along with many others, has been enough to truly begin to educate those who may have no idea of the reality Indigenous people face. I will continue to educate myself and share leaders like this with those around me who are not educated. We cannot ignore the past; it is set in stone in history, and should not be forgotten. But we can build a better and renewed future.

REFERENCES

1. Tara Houska — We are healers. (n.d.). We Are Healers. https://www.wearehealers.org/tara-houska
2. Houska, Tara. “The Standing Rock Resistance and Our Fight for Indigenous Rights.” TED Talks, www.ted.com/talks/tara_houska_the_standing_rock_resistance_and_our_fight_for_indigenous_rights?subtitle=en.
3. Johnson, Christopher. “‘Tiny Ripples of Change’: An Interview With Tara Houska.” Org, 20 Mar. 2023, popularresistance.org/tiny-ripples-of-change-an-interview-with-tara-houska.
4. Marsh, Steve. “Tara Houska on Racist Mascots, Fighting Pipelines, and Being the Only Native in the Room.” St.Paul Magazine, 19 Oct. 2020, mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/tara-houska.