In a recent article from Washington in the Navajo Hopi Observer, March 14th issue; Politicians are taking a public stand on the water rights of the Hopi and Dine speaking as though this is a money issue. This is an attempt to distract and discredit the rights to the water of the Hopi and Dine people.

The fact is that at this moment Traditional Hopi from all the Villages are gathering to discuss how they can stop this ‘sale’ of their rights and their children’s rights to water that they currently own. The government calls this a ‘water claim’ but who is claiming the water? The Hopi and Dine currently own the land and the right to this water. Now the United States Government, reaching as high as President Obama’s office, have taken a stand on purchasing this water from those who currently own it. This comes with directive from Obama himself to make this a top priority to complete this deal quickly.

In the article mentioned here they clearly state that water is becoming a valued commodity and that in the future this commodity will be even more valuable. So when the fields are dry and the wells have no water, the rivers stop flowing who will the Hopi and Dine look to to care for the children, their people? Who will the people that wasted the water that was sold to the corporations and sold to those who had no understanding of its value look to when they have hunger and thirst?

The fact is, Governments do not have the understanding of nature to ‘manage’ water, earth or air in a responsible manner. The water of the Hopi and Dine along with surrounding tribes is seen as a commodity by them. There to be sold to the highest bidder outside the Sacred Lands of the Tribal Traditional Peoples.

To the Traditional Peoples of the land, they see water as LIFE, the giver of life. Everything in this world that you have around you came in one way or another from water. Food grows with water, we bath in water, we drink water to stay alive, our clothes are made from the plants that need water to grow, our homes are built with materials that needed water to create them. NOTHING we have has not had water touch it.

This issue of the water rights of the Indigenous peoples around the world is becoming the focus of the people. If we allow the Governments around the world to TAKE the waters from the Indigenous, from the Hopi and Dine, then we give them the right to destroy our lands, our air our waters, our future. We will be continuing to walk on the path of self destruction.

Did the Governments think to ask the Traditional People “How can we manage this water for the future?”, no, they simply want to ‘buy it cheap’ and ‘sell it high’, thus destroying the future with no management of the natural world.

If we as a people allow this tragedy to unfold while turning away, then the future of starvation, death and destruction for our world and our children will be not a possibility but a reality. WE THE PEOPLE MUST PROTECT OUR RIGHT TO LIFE, if not for ourselves then for the future generations of our children.
Miriam Delicado

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