As the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act advances through congress, leaders of the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe continue to call attention to an urgent, longstanding need: clean, reliable water and a homeland of their own.
Last week in Window Rock, Ariz., San Juan Southern Paiute President Carlene Yellowhair joined Navajo Nation Speaker Crystalyne Curley, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, and Hopi Tribal Chairman Timothy Nuvangyaoma for a high-level meeting with senior officials from the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation.
“For far too long, our people have lived without the most basic necessity of life: water,” President Yellowhair said. “Every family should be able to turn on a faucet without worry. Every elder should be able to see their grandchildren thrive in their own homelands. This settlement is about securing a future for our people.”
A history of exclusion
For generations, the San Juan Southern Paiute have pursued an exclusive reservation on their ancestral homeland. Today, many Paiute families live in small, scattered communities within the exterior boundaries of the Navajo Nation. Access to water remains a daily struggle; households often rely on hauled water, distant wells, or neighboring systems.
The Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement would ratify the Tribe’s decades-old land treaty and, for the first time, explicitly secure federal water rights for the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe. The Agreement provides a dedicated allocation from the Colorado River system and federal support to build the infrastructure needed to deliver water to Paiute homes and farms.
Partnership and persistence
During last week’s meeting, President Yellowhair stressed that the Tribe’s need for an exclusive reservation and reliable water will take more than signatures.
“We need real infrastructure—pipelines, storage, treatment facilities—so our children drink clean water at home, not from a tank hauled miles away,” she said. “This settlement is a foundation, but implementation is where lives will be changed.”
Vice President Johnny Lehi Jr. connected today’s work to the advocacy of his late father.
“This has always been my father’s legacy,” Vice President Lehi said. “He fought so our people would one day have water security and the dignity that comes with it. As his son, and as a leader of our Tribe, I will carry that fight forward until our families have the water they deserve.”
Looking ahead
As Congress prepares to consider the settlement legislation, the Tribe urges lawmakers to recognize the urgency. Many San Juan Southern Paiute households still lack indoor plumbing, while others continue to live without water and electricity. These are stark reminders of the inequities Native communities continue to face.
“Water is life,” President Yellowhair said. “Our elders have waited long enough. Our children cannot wait any longer. The San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe deserves the same dignity, security, and opportunity that water brings to every community.”
The Tribe remains committed to advancing the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act alongside the Navajo and Hopi tribes to ensure the promise of clean water becomes a reality for every San Juan Southern Paiute family.
About the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe: The Tribe is a federally recognized nation whose traditional homelands span northeastern Arizona and southern Utah. The San Juan Southern Paiute continue to advocate for ratification of its decades old Land Treaty, equitable water rights, and the infrastructure needed to sustain their communities as a viable homeland.
Photo Credit (During a Sep. 4 meeting, Speaker Crystalyne Curley advocated for federal support of the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement. (Photo/Navajo Nation)
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