Braun, protester of Dakota Access pipeline, dies at 53

EAGLE BUTTE, S.D. (AP) — A woman who long advocated for Native American rights and was known for organizing protests against the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines has died. Joye Braun, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux, died on Nov. 13 at age 53 at her home in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. Indian Country Today reports that Braun worked as a national pipeline organizer for the Indigenous Environmental Network. At the Dakota Access protest, her teepee was the first to go up at what became Oceti Sakowin camp at Standing Rock. Her daughter said that seeing the Keystone XL pipeline blocked was one of Braun’s proudest achievements.