<
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/16/us/california-native-american-tribes.html>
"The vast territory known as the Owens Valley was home for centuries to Native
Americans who lived along its rivers and creeks fed by snowmelt that cascaded
down the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada.
Then came European settlers, and over time, tribe members lost access to nearly
all of that land. Eventually, the water was lost, too: In the early 20th
century, the developers of Los Angeles famously built a 226-mile-long aqueduct
from the Owens River to the city. It was this project, the story goes, that
allowed Los Angeles to become the booming metropolis that it is today.
Less familiar is what happened to the Owens Valley, and the people who lived
there, after most of the water from the river was sent south. Owens Lake is now
a patchwork of saline pools covered in pink crystals and wetlands studded with
gravel mounds designed to catch dust. And today, the four recognized tribes in
the area have less than 2,000 acres of reservation land, estimated Teri Red
Owl, a local Native American leader.
But things are changing, tribal members say. They have recently reclaimed
corners of the valley, buoyed by growing momentum across the country to return
land to Indigenous stewardship, also known as the “Land Back” movement."
Via
Reasons to be Cheerful:
<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-were-reading-celebrating-juneteenth-preparing-for-heat-waves-and-more/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
