Drum beats broke out Sunday afternoon at Standing Rock as water protectors celebrated the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to deny the final easement required for the Dakota Access pipeline.

“When we organize we win,” said Josh Fox, a filmmaker who has documented the police force at Standing Rock, in an email to Rewire. “We owe the Standing Rock youth council a huge debt of gratitude for redefining protest in the 21st century. Indigenous people and indigenous values of respect peace and environmental reverence must redefine our civilization going forward if we are to survive.”

Dallas Goldtooth of the Indigenous Environmental Network, called it “an amazing victory” for the tribal nations that have come together at Standing Rock and the millions of people who have stood in solidarity.

“This is a victory for organizing, and it doesn’t stop now. We are asking our supporters to keep up the pressure, because while President Obama has granted us a victory today, that victory isn’t guaranteed in the next administration,” he said in a statement. “More threats are likely in the year to come, and we cannot stop until this pipeline is completely and utterly defeated, and our water and climate are safe.”

Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II said in a statement Sunday that he is “deeply appreciative” of the Obama administration’s genuine consideration of tribal concerns with this latest decision.

Concerned about violation of treaty land and the environment, the Sioux have been protesting the pipeline since April and have clashed repeatedly with law enforcement.

“In a system that has continuously been stacked against us from every angle, it took tremendous courage to take a new approach to our nation-to-nation relationship, and we will be forever grateful,” Archambault said.

Jo-Ellen Darcy, the Army’s assistant secretary for civil works, announced the decision to explore alternate routes for the pipeline crossing at Lake Oahe under the Missouri River, a move the Standing Rock Sioux “wholeheartedly support.” 

“Although we have had continuing discussion and exchanges of new information with the Standing Rock Sioux and Dakota Access, it’s clear that there’s more work to do,” Darcy said. “The best way to complete that work responsibly and expeditiously is to explore alternate routes for the pipeline crossing.”

She suggests doing this “through an Environmental Impact Statement with full public input and analysis.”

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch said in a statement that the Department of Justice will continue to monitor the situation in North Dakota and “stand ready to provide resources to help all those who can play a constructive role in easing tensions.”

Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), the Dallas-based company that is building the $3.8 billion, 1,172-mile pipeline, called it a “political decision” and “the latest in a series of overt and transparent political actions by an administration which has abandoned the rule of law in favor of currying favor with a narrow and extreme political constituency.”

“This is nothing new from this Administration, since over the last four months the Administration has demonstrated by its action and inaction that it intended to delay a decision in this matter until President Obama is out of office,” a company statement reads.

Being built through four states, the pipeline would connect the Bakken and Three Forks oil production areas in North Dakota to an existing crude oil terminal near Pakota, Illinois. It is projected to transport approximately 470,000 barrels of oil per day, and was slated to cross Lake Oahe by the end of the year.

The announcement came days after hundreds of veterans joined the fight and Native Americans vowed to continue the #NoDAPL action through December, despite inclement weather and state pushback.

While seen as a tremendous victory after a months-long standoff that garnered support from groups around the nation, some warn that this is just one step in the continued battle for Natives’ rights.

It is “a small victory” but the action continues, said LaDonna Brave Bull Allard, a Native historian, in an email to Rewire. “We must stand to protect the water; this battle is not done.”

In its latest statement, ETP has stated that it remains “fully committed to ensuring that this vital project is brought to completion and fully expect to complete construction of the pipeline without any additional rerouting in and around Lake Oahe. Nothing this administration has done today changes that in any way.”

“This may be a temporary victory against DAPL but the power of the people is never temporary,” Fox said.

President-elect Donald Trump, who reportedly owns stock in ETP, announced his support for the completion of the pipeline last week.

North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple (R), who last month called to vacate the camps, said the Army Corps’ latest decision is a “serious mistake,” according to BBC News.

Water protector Andy Pearson noted in a Facebook post that the decision “doesn’t mean the pipeline won’t be built in its current alignment near Standing Rock eventually. The Corps is essentially hitting the pause button and initiating further study.”

He also said it is “debatable” whether this will make it illegal for the company to continue construction near the reservation.

The reprieve is all the more precarious because of the impending Trump presidency and ETP’s take-or-pay contracts that expire if the pipeline isn’t substantially complete by January 1, he added.

“This isn’t the end of the fight by a long shot, but it’s a brief respite between battles and a sign of how far we’ve come thanks to the indigenous leadership and water protectors at Standing Rock. Let’s celebrate and reflect and keep fighting,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Natives will continue to act “in a peaceful and prayerful manner,” according to Archambault.

“With this decision we look forward to being able to return home and spend the winter with our families and loved ones, many of whom have sacrificed as well,” he said. “Treaties are paramount law and must be respected, and we welcome dialogue on how to continue to honor that moving forward. We are not opposed to energy independence, economic development, or national security concerns but we must ensure that these decisions are made with the considerations of our Indigenous peoples.”