Half a dozen Native American tribes from across the nation gather with Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to protest Dakota Access Pipeline

Energy industry supporters say transporting oil by pipeline is the safest way to get it from one point to another. But when the pipeline travels beneath your water supply, there's no guarantee that it won't ever leak and contaminate that water.

It happened in the Yellowstone River near Glendive, Montana a year and a half ago

In Fort Yates Tuesday, opponents of the Dakota Access Pipeline got a spiritual and physical boost. The fight over the pipeline isn't over, and the Standing Rock Sioux are getting some reinforcements.

Tuesday, the tribe welcomed a half dozen other tribes from across the country to join them.

"In 1964, I sat on a hillside with my father, and I saw him cry for the first time. We watched the water rise on our territory, they were flooding 10,000 acres," says Moejohn, Seneca Nation President.

More tribes from around the country made their way to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation to stand in solidarity with the tribe as they fight the Dakota Access Pipeline.

"We are standing with our relatives in a peaceful manner to express our concern. Our concern for responsible decisions,” says JoDe Goudy, Yakima Nation Chairman.

For them it's just like fighting for your family.

"We have this pride that we are related. We're all related to each other, brothers and sisters. We care just like a family does,” says Moejohn.

They exchanged gifts and prayers with Standing Rock Chairman Dave Archambault, but they will spend their time at the camp near Cannonball with other protesters.

Leaders of the other tribes say the Standing Rock people have nowhere to go if their water is polluted.

"We're a place based society. So the Standing Rock, once this area is polluted cannot pick up and move to another location where there could potentially could be clean water. This is their home," says Speepots Brian Cladoosby, Swinomish Tribe Chairman.

Even though they come from miles apart, they remain unified.

The visiting tribes had no set plans for how long they would stay but said that they would be in North Dakota as long as they could.