Indian tribes designate Colorado River a ‘living being’ with legal rights

The Colorado River Indian Tribes of Arizona and California voted this month to give their namesake waterway the same legal rights as a person saying the living being deserves more protection while it s being threatened by overuse and drought There is no greater expression of sovereignty than protecting stewarding and securing for future generations what our Ancestors handed down to us the tribes wrote in their resolution And that personhood status is a reflection of our values as a people and our spiritual cultural and religious connection to the Colorado River from the beginning of time through the end of time The tribes leaders say their designation is more than just symbolic In a column explaining what the vote means to her Amelia Flores chairwoman of the Colorado River Indian Tribes commented the tribes hold the senior-most water rights in Arizona for Colorado River water And we are constantly receiving requests regarding the feasible leasing of our water she wrote This action authorizes tribal Council to include in any transaction involving our water supplies additional actions to promotion the long-term vitality of the river and its ecosystem things like restoration of habitat dedicating flows for the delta or building new wetlands Amelia Flores chairwoman of the Colorado River Indian Tribes stands near the tribe s authorities offices on Aug Tribal leaders view legal personhood as a way to put their cultural values and reciprocal relationship with the river into law File photo by Alex Hager KUNC Flores added that the Colorado River is in jeopardy and if the nation is to protect it for the future we must think beyond terms of what it can provide to us we must think of what we can provide to it The personhood designation for the river is part of a broader rights of nature movement that aims to bestow new legal protections on threatened natural materials around the globe The Yurok Tribe in Northern California is supposed to have been the first group to give legal personhood rights to a North American river when it declared in the Klamath River possesses inherent rights to exist flourish and naturally evolve The tribe s action was a response to low river flows that threatened salmon populations While specific personhood designations have yet to be tested in courts a federal judge in struck down a law passed by voters in Toledo Ohio granting legal rights to Lake Erie The Lake Erie Bill of Rights aimed to protect the lake from poisoning and toxic algae blooms This article is part of ongoing coverage of the Colorado River produced by KUNC and supported by the Walton Family Foundation KUNC is solely responsible for its editorial coverage