Native News
Monday Morning (March 16, 2026): Articles You May Have Missed This Past Weekend
Happy Monday!
Here are some of the articles you may have missed over the weekend:
Senate Committee Examines $5B Water Rights Settlement for Navajo, Hopi, and Paiute Tribes
About one-third of the Navajo Nation lacks access to clean drinking water, a reality that impacts every aspect of daily life.
Testifying Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs during a hearing on Indian water settlements, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren recalled hauling water in five-gallon containers with his grandmother and mother as a child.
Nygren said a typical Navajo family spends an average of $600 per month hauling water.
On November 6, 2025, the Colorado River Tribes passed an ordinance recognizing the personhood of the Colorado River. Not only now, but acknowledging that it has always had personhood.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Tribal Council of the Colorado River Indian Tribes that the Colorado River always has been and will always be a person under tribal law and will be entitled to the protections under tribal law befitting this status.
Personhood of natural objects like rivers and trees has long been recognized in tribal law, stories, and traditions. In Western law, however, the concept of personhood is still developing.
Senate Committee Examines $5B Water Rights Settlement for Navajo, Hopi, and Paiute Tribes
About one-third of the Navajo Nation lacks access to clean drinking water, a reality that impacts every aspect of daily life.
Testifying Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs during a hearing on Indian water settlements, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren recalled hauling water in five-gallon containers with his grandmother and mother as a child.
Nygren said a typical Navajo family spends an average of $600 per month hauling water.