What Next: The Navajo Fight for Water

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Slate Podcasts

News, News Commentary, Politics

4.6 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 23 May 2023

⏱️ 21 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Supreme Court is currently hearing a case that will determine whether or not the government is obligated to ensure water access for Native American tribes. The arguments in the case, Arizona v. Navajo Nation, hinge upon whether or not the government has violated past treaties with the tribe by not providing adequate water. Guest: Heather Tanana, assistant professor of law at the University of Utah and citizen of the Navajo Nation. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Heather Tanana wants you to think about water.
0:11.0	You stopped right now and looked around you.
0:14.2	Everything around you needed water to be produced.
0:17.0	You know, you're most likely drinking something.
0:18.8	It doesn't even have to be water.
0:19.8	You know, maybe it's tonight.
0:20.8	I'm a glass of wine, right?
0:22.8	That uses water.
0:25.2	Everything.
0:26.2	The paint on your walls uses water.
0:29.0	The average American uses roughly a hundred gallons of water a day.
0:33.6	And barely thinks about it.
0:35.6	But in the Navajo Nation, it's a lot less.
0:38.6	You look at residents on Navajo Nation, you know, the average water hauler is using about
0:45.0	seven to eight gallons of water a day.
0:47.9	Some families are really rationing it down to two to three gallons a day even.
0:54.9	Heather is a law professor at the University of Utah.
0:58.4	She grew up in the nation.
1:00.4	And when she says water hauler, she means someone literally hauling water from a public
1:06.6	source to their home.
1:09.4	You're having to carry these gallon containers with you and fill up whatever you need for
1:15.9	the week and take it back with you.
	...

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