Parity Pipeline

Genre

Synopsis

RIBBON SKIRT WARRIORS traces the water protector movement’s evolution, beginning in 2012 and spanning various pipeline battles, from Sandpiper to Standing Rock to the 2020 Line 3 construction. The film starts with a condensed seven years of indigenous resistance into a few minutes, showcasing diverse protest methods like horseback rides, wild rice harvesting, and scoping hearings, culminating in the over-militarized response at Standing Rock. The film’s core focuses on approximately ten months of intensified resistance against Line 3’s 330-mile route. Indigenous women set up camps along the route to assert treaty rights and protect water. Notable leaders like Winona LaDuke (White Earth Ojibwe), and Great Grandmother Mary Lyons (Ojibwe) join local women like Dawn Goodwin (White Earth Ojibwe), Tania Aubid (Mille Lacs Ojibwe), Taysha Martineau (Fond du Lac Ojibwe), and Sasha Beaulieu (Red Lake Ojibwe). These women blend direct nonviolent action with traditional practices, gaining strength from influential allies like Jane Fonda, V (formerly Eve Ensler), Marisa Tomei, Taylor Schilling, and Jane Kleeb. In March, Water Protectors marked the anniversary of North America’s worst inland oil spill by processing to an overpass along Enbridge’s pre-existing lines. Enbridge’s Line 3, one of the pipelines they aim to “replace” while increasing oil volume, threatens the Great Lakes, which hold 20% of the world’s fresh water. The struggle peaks in Summer 2021 as national media highlights the Native leaders’ efforts. Winona LaDuke, taking more drastic measures, gets arrested with five elders and a journalist, known as The Shell River 7. The number of Water Protectors grows, illustrated by a 256-mile walk from the Mississippi headwaters to the Minnesota State Capital, where thousands rally to stop Line 3. RIBBON SKIRT WARRIORS amplifies the voices of environmental justice leaders, showcasing their unwavering resolve and commitment to cultural preservation and sovereignty. The film captures the movement’s genesis, driven by the transformative power of Indigenous women leading as water protectors and land defenders.