--- description: An oil pipeline protest turned violent after tribal officials accused construction crews of destroying burial and cultural sites title: Pipeline Protest Turns Violent After Burial Grounds Are Allegedly Damaged image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0305d10612a85681/6988a4cc196cf4e84203d11d/oil-pipeline-protest.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [North Dakota](/tag/north-dakota/) ## North Dakota Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # North Dakota Pipeline Protest Turns Violent After Native American Burial Grounds Allegedly Damaged by [Mahita Gajanan](/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Sep 4, 2016 4:52 PM CUT  People gather at an encampment by the Missouri River, where hundreds of people have gathered to join the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's protest against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipe (DAPL), near Cannon Ball, North Dakota, on September 3, 2016\. The Indian reservation in North Dakota is the site of the largest gathering of Native Americans in more than 100 years. Indigenous people from across the US are living in camps on the Standing Rock reservation as they protest the construction of the new oil pipeline which they fear will destroy their water supply. People gather at an encampment by the Missouri River, where hundreds of people have gathered to join the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's protest against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipe (DAPL), near Cannon Ball, North Dakota, on September 3, 2016\. The Indian reservation in North Dakota is the site of the largest gathering of Native Americans in more than 100 years. Indigenous people from across the US are living in camps on the Standing Rock reservation as they protest the construction of the new oil pipeline which they fear will destroy their water supply.ROBYN BECK—AFP/Getty Images by [Mahita Gajanan](/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Sep 4, 2016 4:52 PM CUT A protest over a $3.8 billion oil pipeline turned violent after Native American tribal officials accused construction crews of destroying burial and cultural sites on private land in North Dakota. Four security guards and two guard dogs were injured after protesters confronted construction crews on Saturday at the site outside of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. One security officer was hospitalized with undisclosed injuries, and the two guard dogs were taken to a Bismarck veterinary clinic, according to the Morton County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Donnell Preskey. Protesters said six people were bitten by the guard dogs, including a young child, and at least 30 people were pepper sprayed, tribe spokesman Steve Sitting Bear said, the [Associated Press](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/dca1962d120b4b069c0436280ad62bd1/oil-pipeline-protest-turns-violent-southern-north-dakota "undefined") reported. Preskey said police officers had no reports of injuries. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe gathered to protest the oil pipeline slated to cross the nearby Missouri River, which they feel will disturb sacred grounds and affect drinking water supply for tribal members and others who live downstream. Tribe chairman David Archambault II said construction crews removed topsoil from burial and cultural sites. “The demolition is devastating,” Archambault told the AP. “These grounds are the resting places of our ancestors. The ancient cairns and stone prayer rings there cannot be replaced. In one day, our sacred land has been turned into hollow ground.” \[[_Associated Press_](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/dca1962d120b4b069c0436280ad62bd1/oil-pipeline-protest-turns-violent-southern-north-dakota "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4478854/oil-pipeline-protest-violent/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4478854/oil-pipeline-protest-violent/"},"headline":"North Dakota Pipeline Protest Turns Violent After Native American Burial Grounds Allegedly Damaged","datePublished":"2016-09-04T16:52:03.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T00:23:40.052Z","description":"\"The demolition is devastating\"","url":"https://time.com/4478854/oil-pipeline-protest-violent/","keywords":["North Dakota"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0305d10612a85681/6988a4cc196cf4e84203d11d/oil-pipeline-protest.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mahita Gajanan","jobTitle":"Gajanan is an editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0305d10612a85681/6988a4cc196cf4e84203d11d/oil-pipeline-protest.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"US-ENVIRONMENT-OIL-PROTEST-PIPELINE","caption":"US-ENVIRONMENT-OIL-PROTEST-PIPELINE","creditText":"ROBYN BECK—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/north-dakota/","name":"North Dakota"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4478854/oil-pipeline-protest-violent/","name":"North Dakota Pipeline Protest Turns Violent After Native American Burial Grounds Allegedly Damaged"}}]}] ```