Sacred Waters
"As Indigenous Peoples, we raise our voices in solidarity to speak for the protection of Water. The Creator placed us on this earth, each in our own sacred and traditional lands, to care for all of creation. We stand united to follow and implement our knowledge, laws and self-determination to preserve Water, to preserve life." Indigenous Declaration on Water, July/August 2001, British Columbia, Canada
Indigenous traditional teachings recognize and respect water as a sacred and powerful gift from the Creator. Water, the first living spirit on this earth, give life to all creation. Our knowledge, laws and ways of life teach us to be responsible at all times in caring for this sacred gift that connects all life.
"There has been a lot said about the sacredness of our land which is our body; and the values of our culture which is our soul; but water is the blood of our tribes, and if its life-giving flow is stopped, or it is polluted, all else will die and the many thousands of years of our communal existence will come to an end" Frank Tenorio, Governor of San Felipe Pueblo
World Water Statistics
The Earth's surface is covered largely by water (over 70%), however, 97.5% of that water is sea water, laving only a small fraction available for us to drink. Less than 1% of the world's water is available for human consumption.
Of the 2.5% fresh water, most is locked up in glaciers, permafrost, and groundwater that would be too expensive to retrieve.
"Not only is the level of water in the global well getting low, the water is also polluted sometimes to the point where it is no longer drinkable."Julie Sauffer, The Water Crisis
Over half of that 1% is polluted and unusable for for human consumption!! According to the United Nations, about 1.4 billion people lack access to clean water and 2.4 billion people lack adequate sanitation. Because of this, over 9,000 children die daily. Even in places where water is clean and abundant, water is an extremely vital resource, essential to every aspect of life.
Commodifying the Sacred
Water is sacred, yet in these modern times water has become a commodity; a property interest to be bought, sold and traded in the European-American economic, legal and colonial system. There exists now a manipulation of water rights for economic and political advantage - mostly by governmental bodies. Water is being depleted or converted into destructive uses. Through large dams, trans-boundary diversion projects, mineral extraction, energy production, recreational & agricultural industries, and even bottled water, this sacred element is being exploited.
Water is a Basic Human Right
All people deserve the right to a clean and accessible water source. However, throughout the world people are struggling for this basic human right. World trade agreements, industries, and corporations want to view water as a commodity, an item that can be traded and sold to the highest bidder, rather than acknowledge that water is a common and basic need for ALL life.
IEN's Water Campaign
Water is both a human rights and Native/Indigenous rights issue. We raise our voices in solidarity to speak for the protection of the sacredness of Water through the recognition and application of our traditional cultural and spiritual values to water. The Water Campaign strives to network and support grassroots Native/Indigenous peoples and tribal governments, as well as, non-Indigenous water activists and non-governmental organizations to protect the sacredness of water. IEN's Water Campaign was a funded project of IEN between 2004-2005 to focus on the concerns of water becoming privatized. Currently, IEN's Water Campaign is not funded, however all the water campaign work has been incorporated within the energy-climate, mining, toxics, IEN affiliates and other program and organizing work that IEN is involved with.
These IEN pages on Water are not meant to be comprehensive on the topic of legally reserved water rights and the body of U.S. federal law that recognizes that American Indian tribes have unique property and sovereignty rights on the water within their territories. In Canada, First Nations are just now beginning to have dialogue on determining what their strategy is on asserting their rights to water. Internationally, especially within the Global South, Indigenous Peoples are fighting for their customary rights to water.
For more information:INDIGENOUS ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK
PO Box 485
Bemidji, MN 56619
Ph:(218) 751-4967
Fax: (218) 751-0561
Email: Tom Goldtooth at ien@igc.org
or
Black Mesa Water Coalition
P.O. Box 613
Flagstaff, AZ 86002
Ph: (928) 213-5909
Fax: (928) 213-5905
E-mail: Eni Begaye at eneibegaye@mac.com
What YOU Can Do:
Treat Water as Sacred.
Respect our tradtions. Pray for the water, make offerings to keep water pure and available for the People and all Life.Be a Water Protector.
Be aware of water sources around you and make it your business to know these water sources are safe, protectd, and/or being managed properly. Be cautions of mining, energy power plants and agricultural and other industrial developments that use and waste great amounts of water.Be AWARE
Know where your drinking water comes from. Recent trends are to privatize both drinking water and wastewater systems. In many cases your tap water is of highter quality that bottled water.Conserve Water
Whether you live in areas of lots of water or where water is scarce, remember water is a precious resource. Whether in the home, in the tribal community or within industrial development, we can no longer afford to waste water.Avoid Consuming Bottled Water
Unless it is an emergency, bottled water is not the solution. Fill re-usable containers with tap water and take them with you.Do Not Pour Chemicals Down the Drain
Wathc what you pour down your drain and what you put in your garbage. Everything you thourw out will find its way back into the hydrologic cycle."Perhaps the key to new ways of thinking and interacting with the Earth is reflected within the hydrologic cycle itself."Laura Watchempino, Water Quality Specialist - Acoma |
| "We believe the aquifers breathe. They breathe in the rain and snow and breathe out in the form of springs. The springs are breathing holes — passageways to Paatuuwaqatsi (the water world)." - Black Mesa Trust Website |
Water Document Archives
INDIGENOUS ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK STATEMENT ON WATER, 2001, PENTICTON FIRST NATIONS, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.
English SpanishINDIGENOUS PEOPLES KYOTO WATER DECLARATION 2003,
Adopted at the Third World Water Forum, Kyoto, Japan March 2003. This is the first known global collective statement of Indigenous Peoples on Water. Press release attached separately. IEN participated in this Forum.English Spanish
THE TLATOKAN ATLAHUAK DECLARATION 2006,
Prepared by the Indigenous peoples Parallel Forum and submitted to the Secretariat of the 4th World Water Forum, MArch 16-22, 2006, Mexico City, Mexico. IEN participated in this parallel forum.English Spanish
UNITED NATIONS PERMANENT FORUM ON INDIGENOUS ISSUES (UNPFII).
Collection of Interventions made at the UNPFII related to water.[English]
Declaration of the Peoples World Water Movement, New Delhi, India, January 2004, Section: Water is Life: Indigenous Perspectives
IEN had some Indigenous experts attend this meeting incorporating Indigenous viewpoints into this global document. These persons were Darlene Sanderson (Cree, Canada) and Dr. Huirangi Waikerepuru (Maori, Aotearoa)English
An IEN Report of the Indigenous Peoples Presentation on the Topic of: “Spirituality and Sustainability- Water, the Common Element” Presented to the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions’
2004 Goldin Institute for International Partnership and Peace Annual Forum November 6-12, 2004, Taipei, TaiwanEnglish
2007 Indigenous NGO/IPO Request for a World Indigenous Forum on Water and Peace, presented to the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Sixth Session
New York, 12 May - 25 May 2007, 2007, under Item 9: Future Work of Permanent ForumEnglish
An IEN Report of the Indigenous Peoples Presentation on the Topic of: “Spirituality and Sustainability- Water, the Common Element” Presented to the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions’
2004 Goldin Institute for International Partnership and Peace Annual Forum November 6-12, 2004, Taipei, TaiwanEnglish
2007 Indigenous NGO/IPO Request for a World Indigenous Forum on Water and Peace, presented to the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Sixth Session
New York, 12 May - 25 May 2007, 2007, under Item 9: Future Work of Permanent ForumEnglish
2008 Indigenous NGO/IPO Request for a World Indigenous Forum on Water and Peace, Presented to the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Seventh Session, New York, 21 April - 2 May, 2008, under Item 9: Future Work of Permanent ForumEnglish
2008 Protection of Water intervention submitted by the Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development and supportive Indigenous NGO/IPO's to the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Seventh Session, New York, 21 April - 2 May 2008, under Item 3: Special theme: Climate change, bio-cultural diversity and livelihoods: the stewardship role of Indigenous peoples and new challengesEnglish
Annual World Water Forum Disappointing to Indigenous
Published Date: 10-04-2006Link
Native Energy Justice