Our Story - The Indigenous Led Fight to Protect Greater Chaco

Over 90 percent of the available lands in the Greater Chaco region of the Southwest have already been leased for oil and gas extraction. Our Story documents the ongoing Indigenous-led work to protect the remaining lands that are untouched by oil and gas, as well as the health and well being of communities surrounded by these extractive industries.

Diné and Pueblo people directly impacted by oil and gas extraction in the Greater Chaco region have been organizing for generations. But rarely is this story of extraction and land defense told from their perspectives. Over the course of three years, Navajo and Pueblo grassroots leaders collaborated to tell their stories about the struggle to protect their living cultural traditions, the public health of their communities, the climate, and the integrity of this landscape (including the World Heritage Site Chaco National Historical Park) from fracking.

Our Story emerges from a long-standing collaboration between local Diné leaders in the Greater Chaco region, Pueblo organizers, and a small team of community-engaged media makers to share the story of the Indigenous-led fight to protect this sacred landscape.

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FILMMAKER'S STATEMENT: "As people across the world wrestle with how to make a rapid energy transition in the face of climate change, we believe that this film provides an intimate look into the struggles that the Indigenous communities in New Mexico are facing as they continue to advocate for sustainability, public health, landscape-level protections, and ultimately their sovereignty from the perspective of those living on the frontlines of extractive industries.

We hope that this effort will help in some small way to amplify the voices of the members of the Greater Chaco Coalition and the communities that they represent as they work to protect the wellbeing of their communities and lands, and build a more just and sustainable future."