Hopi Water Spirit
The Hopi have
a warning for the world.
The Hopi
believe that they must keep their water source or it will have an effect on the
world. This belief was the beginning of their spirituality. If the water is restricted,
it would break the link between the Hopi and the Creator, spiritually, because they were told the water would
always be there. (1) On February 14, 2012, US Senators Kyl and McCain of
Arizona introduced Senate Bill 2109 – the “Navajo-Hopi Little Colorado River
Rights Settlement Act of 2012.” The bill encouraged the Navajo and Hopi peoples
to waive aboriginal water rights claims to the surface waters of the Little
Colorado River, future claims for damages done to the Navajo Aquifer, and “all
claims to injury to water quality arising from time immemorial and thereafter,
forever.”(2)
As I watched the You Tube "Hopi Message 2012 -- World Waters at Risk - Prophecy", I realize that the Hopi are begging the American people to save the element of water. Radford Quamahongnewa from the Shungopavi Village believes that if the government can take away the rights of the Hopi, the government can take away everyone's right to the water. (3)
I happen to work for a water authority on Long Island. Our mission is to
provide cold, clean water to 28,000 customers. The source of water supply is
from underground water aquifers. The water authority that I work with
provides the extraction, treatment, and distribution of water. We never deny
anyone the right to apply for a water account.
I believe that the Hopi should not be denied the right to have access
to this water supply.
provide cold, clean water to 28,000 customers. The source of water supply is
from underground water aquifers. The water authority that I work with
provides the extraction, treatment, and distribution of water. We never deny
anyone the right to apply for a water account.
I believe that the Hopi should not be denied the right to have access
to this water supply.
2. http://greenfiretimes.com/2012/08/the-navajo-hopi-water-rights-settlement-act-of-2012/#.U5Jx6nlOU3E
I like the symbolic image you placed in your post, Debra. The Hopi also believed that water, like air and land, was a gift from their creator, so to desecrate it was a show of disrespect for the spiritual gift the creator gave to them. They believed that there was a spiritual presence in everything so when the Europeans came in and claimed the water as their own they were putting greed ahead of spirituality, which was a very negative thing in the eyes of the Hopi. The Hopi elder’s prophesized that the white man would come in and take what they wanted, and the prophecy came true. This means that the Europeans had a reputation for greed and dominance that the elders knew would carry over into their native culture.
ReplyDeleteQuamonghewa, R. (Narrator). (2012). Hopi Message 2012 -- World Waters at Risk - Prophecy USA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veCIE6K4K7E.
Hi Debra!
ReplyDeleteI remember the video but really enjoyed reading your post with the additional information that you referenced and your personal experience and perspective. I agree that the Hopi should continue to have access for the water that they have aboriginal rights to and that guidelines on its treatment and others' access to it should be outlined and managed by the Hopi people. It will be interesting to see how some of the issues that we are discussing during this course will play out in the future.
I think that the Hopi should hold onto their aboriginal rights to their water.
ReplyDeleteI personally am against private corporations or government controlling water. When this happens it seems the result is people unable to have access to a basic human right, water. One example of this in the United States would be what has happened in Detroit with their lack of water availability to the poor. According to Brett Walton in his article, In Detroit: No Money, No Water he tells about Detroit and how even though it is one of the cities with the least expensive water there were still more than 42,000 homes in 2005 that had their water disconnected. (Walton) We should listen to the Hopi and save our water.
I also found this Global Issues article that gives more information about water privatization: http://www.globalissues.org/article/601/water-and-development
References
Walton, Brett. In Detroit: No Money, No Water. Detroit: Circle of Blue, 2010. http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/2010/world/in-detroit-no-money-no-water/.
Hi Debra,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post, and I like the image "Hopi Water Spirit" that you used too.
I think it very interesting that Native Americans, such as the Hopi, used myths for teaching their community 'the truth' about the importance of fresh, clean water. For so many people in the world, the lack of access to fresh water has become a very big issue. Yet, where I live, fresh water is in abundance. It seems that where ever there is an abundance of a natural resource, it becomes quickly exploited and ruined. Currently, where I live, the Hudson River is being dredged to clean up the PCBs that the General Electric Company dumped there. It is a very controversial issue for some. The small community that I live in, like many others along the river, rely on the Hudson for their drinking water. I think that perhaps we should consider adopting storytelling and the sharing of such myths to teach community members in mainstream U.S. culture these sort of truths, as Native Americans do. :)
I agree with all of you in saying that the Hopi Indians should not have their right to keep their water supply taken away. In this day and age you would think they would have learned the detrimental affects of taking away from the Native American's can have. I went to Hover Dam about three years ago and went on a guided tour. Water supply is a great concern to the people living in the area. The water level in the Colorado River is decreasing drasticly and is a major water supplier out west. Maybe this is why our government is trying to obtain their water supply? Just a thought I had, still doesn't make it alright for our government to try to take it over. Especially if they are so resistant.
ReplyDeleteJust testing out google's comment section. I'll have real input later. :-)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post and I like that you added the image of the Hopi water spirit. It is a shame that the Hopi continue to fight for what was rightfully their's. In the you tube video the Hopi speaker was very emotional about the need to preserve the water. Water is life, because it is the essence of life. If the Hopi continue having control of the water it will continue to thrive and be usable. If the water is exploited it will diminish and be polluted.
ReplyDelete