Question about water sources

[rebeccmeister]

Recently, the NYT Magazine had an article about climate migration, here:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/09/15/magazine/climate-crisis-migration-america.html

This got me thinking about Arizona and the Hohokam, as well as about the Tohono O'odahm, Pima, and other contemporary Native communities in Arizona.

https://www.arizonamuseumofnaturalhistory.org/plan-a-visit/mesa-grande/the-hohokam

Where do each of the contemporary Native groups in the Southwest get their water? I would hope that they have good water rights, as deserved, but time and again I hear about how challenging it is to get access to water in the Navajo Nation, and I have to imagine the Hopi face similar challenges. And I don't know enough about the relevant treaties. So I'm curious about what getting water looks like.

Part of why I wonder is because people in Western cultures often don't have the same kind of connection to land as people in Native cultures. It seems to me that this difference means that different groups of people are likely to respond in different ways to the environmental challenges caused by climate change. Some will migrate, some won't, but the reasons why or why not will differ for different people. I've been among the transients, myself, for so long.

I have friends who had just bought a house on the outskirts of LA about 4.5 months ago, whose house burned to the ground during some of the recent wildfires. They still have a rental space in the city, so they weren't left completely homeless by the fires, but still. I suspect they will actually rebuild on the land where their house was, if they can, and they're the kinds of people who will be fully committed to revegetation efforts.

Apparently the Red Cross people who went back to their home site with them were really surprised when one of the first things they did was to look for the remains of animals that were barbecued in the wildfire. I guess that isn't "normal" behavior, but these are friends who love animals and are of a biological nature.

Comments

[thisnewday]

"...the remains of animals..." The loss of a home is so sad and my heart goes out to them. But for the loss of their beloved pets, my heart breaks for them. Wishing them well in the days ahead...

[rebeccmeister]

I think that most if not all of their own pets made it out okay - they were mostly discovering wildlife that didn't, and I believe checking for neighbors' pets. Still so sad.

[thisnewday]

That's somewhat of a relief but, yes, still sad. Cause, at the very least, for reflection upon mankind's impact on this planet. Yet another issue that cries out for change at the top as well as in our daily lives. Maybe if we called it "trickle-down ethics" it would catch on with conservatives? Naw...

[bluepapercup]

The answer to your question about water rights for Native tribes is complicated, because of the large-scale theft of water by the rest of the American Machine, including industry, agriculture, and development.

In many cases water rights have become moot because the water has been sucked away by another user, who inevitably has the money to overpower legal objections to this water theft, and in some cases will resort to violence to continue to use that water that they do not have a right to.

Additionally, water supplies granted to or historically used by tribes have been poisoned, either through industrial negligence, poor state-level regulation of other water and land users, or on purpose by those who feel that treaty rights should never have existed in the first place.

The rights themselves are a patchwork, and each tribal nation faces its own challenges in exercising those rights, if they were granted any at all. Some of the ways that nations get heir water are: digging new and deeper wells, buying water from other jurisdictions and piping it in, and/or simply trucking in water and filling water barrels (this is common on the Navajo Nation).

None of this would be necessary if Native Sovereignty had been respected. I will do a little more research when I have time this week and see if I can find you a map or other compendium of water rights.

[rebeccmeister]

Wow, this is an incredible summary of the topic. Thank you so much.

[scrottie]

An intro to Native Peoples and Issues (don't remember the actual title of the course) had one weekly video of a housing development outside of Los Angeles. Rebecca was watching these with me, which was nice. Not exactly water, and interesting to hear your thoughts on that, but starting with advertisements for this new development before going in to the land rights and treaties, it painted a pretty depressing picture of how we just do not honor treaties. The land was very much unceded treaty land, the Native peoples did not want the development, the police had no jurisdiction, etc.

We don't really have mechanisms for enforcing Native's rights. Largely, it's an "external" affair, and congress could order the army in to make white people behave, but that never happens or isn't the result when the army is ordered in. That or law suits, which turn in to a battle of money.

Pima Rd and the developments east of it were leased Native lands. Agree that the water rights with the Pima would be interesting, noting that they are still there and on some of their own ancient canals. Hmm, I wonder if my unread history of Phoenix book mentions that.

[(Anonymous)]

Semi-related:

https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2020-10-07/how-native-americans-in-minnesota-beat-back-covid-19?fbclid=IwAR2wzrf_w7y_311bwDeViZo6c3f70IUBHhwU_U0hYGK1sGtPl00Jfcu85_0

Access to clean water is a really big deal.

[scrottie]

Dammit. Bonus comment was me. Log me in, you stupid thing.

[twoeleven]

Article bout the Navaho and water: https://widerimage.reuters.com/story/climate-change-is-drying-the-lifeblood-of-navajo-ranchers-as-their-lands-become-desert