Native American Identity

“Native American Identity” by Perry G. Horse is an article that discusses the viewpoint of being Native and what your identity means to you. This article covers not just the identity of natives, but our hardships of preserving our cultures and identities from colonialism, or better said as “Native American identity is multifaceted. Many issues or elements (such as ethnic nomenclature, racial attitudes, the legal and political status of American Indian nations and American Indian people, cultural change. and one’s a sensibility about what being a Native American means in today’s society) influence Native American identity.”(pp. 61-62). This article also talks about how Natives can identify themselves and avoid these terms given to us decades ago.

Community Sharing One Skin

The next article that I’ve read was called “Community Sharing One Skin” by Jeanette Armstrong. This is more of a personal narrative that wants the audience to know her cultural background and her identity. Armstrong explains her cultural significance and how natives are connected to earth and nature. She explains a little bit about her indigenous philosophy and how humans are connected by the phrase “our one skin” meaning you don't have to be related but you are a part of that community.

"Pueblo Indian Agriculture" is a book by James A. Vlasich that goes into depth more than water but more into the history of the practices of pueblo agriculture. I wanted to go much deeper than looking at when governments were formed when laws were passed, and when bills were proposed. Back when It wasn’t known as water rights. It goes back to when the Spanish conquistadors first encountered Pueblo Natives. The Pueblo Natives had their share of water when it was as simple as finding where water would runoff into their crops and It then graduated into irrigation channels and also learned more about the history of Native agriculture before the arrival of Spain. With the invention of agriculture began the start of communities meaning farmers were in charge of supporting the community population with food.

Pueblo Indian Water Rights: Struggle for a precious resource

" Pueblo Indian Water Rights: Struggle for a precious resource" is an article written by Charles T. Dumars, Marilyn O'Leary & Albert E. Utton. In this article, a brief description of the law of Pueblo Native Water Rights. There was a discussion in the 1700s of how Natives of the upper Rio Grande valley had no law saying the Pueblo natives had their share of water between Spanish settlers along the Rio Grande. In that time there were laws and treaties between Mexico and the United States throughout the years of the 1800s. For example, When the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, it was signed to end the Mexican-United States war. Although Pueblo Natives were not involved in the treaty they were considered Mexico's property when the treaty was signed resulting in the Pueblo Natives living under what was called the "Spanish-Mexican Law".

Tribal Waters: An introduction to Indian water rights

“Tribal waters: An Introduction to Indian water rights” is a video that includes Clayton Matt, a natural resource worker for the Salish and Kootenai Tribes explains what “First in time first in right” water rights are. Before colonization, Natives would control the water by creating channels moving the water from the source to where they needed it. Something to keep in mind are the words “Prior Appropriation.” Prior Appropriation is the user that will use water or land first because they are the people who needed it first. For Example, if a stream were to dry out those that would benefit from it the most would receive the water first. These prior appropriation rights can also be costly as you may lose water if you don’t use it. This concept originated from the federal court in the winter’s doctrine for the Fort Belknap reservation as the water was reserved for the purpose of the reservation for those that would live there. When this reservation was created the supreme court said that the water should go along with the land. In 1973, the Montana Water Use Act was created for any water users in the state of Montana who had to file a claim for any water usage before the bill was created. All these influenced future litigations and adjudications.

Court Ruling Limits Pueblo Water Rights

“Court ruling Limits Pueblo water rights” is an article written by Bill Hume in the Albuquerque Journal. The article is briefly about the case of who receives water in terms of who claimed the water first. In water law, the phrase “first in time, first in right” is commonly said when the topic of native rights is brought up. Hume claims that “Pueblos may, as a matter of law, be entitled to vastly less water than claimed” giving more of our resources to more non-native users. Throughout the Mexican-Spanish law when the Spanish claimed what is now present-day New Mexico, Natives that settled along the Rio Grande had already created irrigation systems before they were discovered by the Spaniards. When the treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo was signed Native rights weren’t tampered with but still, nothing was documented about giving natives rights but the only way they still continued was through daily practice and word of mouth.

The Promise of Indian Water Leasing: An Examination of One Tribe’s Success at Brokering Its Surplus Water Rights

In this next article, the idea of leasing water in Native communities is presented. Aswell as Tribal marketing and its restrictions. For example, the Jicarilla Apache Nation is one of the first tribes in New Mexico to have documented water rights with the privilege to sell or lease tribal lands. Originally Indian water rights clearly states that “Indian reserved water rights come with a major restriction that does not apply to prior appropriation water rights obtained under state law: they cannot be leased to off-reservation users without Congressional approval.”(pp. 184) Meaning that most Native American tribes that have settled water claims may lease or grant resources such as water and land to non-native users for economic development. In the past, the Jicarilla Apache Nation has leased a portion of its water to non-native users for the use of electrical generation, municipal supply for two cities, residential development, and stream inflow for endangered fish. As tribes continue to lease or grant access to their water some problems may occur during deals such as upsetting the status quo, reducing the amount of water available to other water rights holders, raising the price of water, or disrupting previously “settled” interstate allocations.

Water Crisis in the West: Thinking Like a Watershed - Water Law in the Southwest

In the series “Water Crisis in the West: Thinking like a Watershed” The panel discussion includes Peter Pino, former Administrator of Zia Pueblo; Bruce Frederick of the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, and Em Hall, author and water rights attorney. All of which are experts in the field of water study in New Mexico. They share what they know about the topic of Climate Change. Bruce Fredrick best explains that “With the scarcity of water, comes the creations of more law.” An example of this would be that when Texas sues the state of New Mexico for violation. This was because the state of Texas wasn’t receiving a certain amount of square feet in the Rio Grande due to the drought.

WATER SHORTAGES HAVE A HISTORY

Arid and semi-arid lands make over 80% of Kenya's land. Much like the rest of the world Kenya's counties also face the effects of drought. Cause of the drought 2 million people in Kenyan lands are at risk of starvation without the resources given to them such as water and the decrease of vegetation growing around them. The people of Kenya claim that the drought affects local people, their knowledge, and their established ways of living. Due to colonial development in the 1950s, Kenya's waters were “siphoned” by projects developed in want of profit. Resource policies are beginning to fight against climate change. But this did not bother the colonial state as their only goal was to make a profit off the rivers that were agriculturally used before.