How Indigenous Organizers Defeated a Mining Company at Pe’ Sla

Indigenous organizers and environmental groups are celebrating a rare and hard-fought victory after a South Dakota mining company withdrew its plan to drill for graphite near Pe’ Sla, a sacred site in the Black Hills. The withdrawal followed a monthslong coordinated campaign that combined prayer, direct action, and legal pressure—tactics that could offer lessons for future land defense fights, organizers say.

Pete Lien & Sons informed the U.S. Forest Service on May 7 that it was withdrawing its plan of operations for the Rochford Mineral Exploratory Drilling Project and did not intend to submit another drilling plan for the site, according to a letter shared by project opponents. The decision came days after a federal judge on May 4 temporarily halted drilling amid sustained opposition to the project from Native nations and local water protectors.

“I think it shows the power of organizing, the power of community coming together to say no through direct action,” said Wizipan Garriott, president of NDN Collective, which was one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit to halt the drilling. “It also shows the power of being able to bring things to the court. And then it also shows the power of tribes being able to organize and to take action.”