Cowboys and Indians Ride Through DC to Protest Keystone XL Pipeline

By Arlette Saenz April 22, 2014

(Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo)

Cowboys and Indians riding on horseback marched through the nation's capital today in protest against the Keystone XL Pipeline.

Dressed in native headdresses and cowboy hats, the activists started on horseback at the reflecting pool in front of the Capitol and marched through downtown DC. They ended their march at an encampment which featured tipis on the National Mall. The Indigo Girls performed while the group built an additional ceremonial tipi on the grounds of the National Mall.

"We're here to show Obama, to show Washington DC the very faces of the people that the decision of the KXL pipeline represents," Dallas Goldtooth, one of the activists from the Cowboy and Indian Alliance, a coalition of farmers, ranchers and Native American leaders, told a crowd on the mall. "These people represent families, they represent communities, they represent entire nations, so they're here to bring their stories here to say no to the Keystone XL pipeline and to all pipelines."

The Cowboy and Indian Alliance and other groups will be in Washington, D.C. through the weekend as a part of "Reject and Protect" week, holding a variety of events, including ritual water ceremonies on the National Mall and outside the home of Secretary of State John Kerry, to protest the Keystone XL Pipeline. Actress Daryl Hannah is expected to join the group later this week.

Here's a look at some of the photos from the day: