Indigenous
Environmental Network

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.

"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.