N A T I O N A L C O N G R E S S O F A M E R I C A N I N D I A N S
Resolutions Committee Recommendation Resolution #: PDX-20-032 Title: Opposition to The Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery and Storage Project in the Mojave Desert that will impact Sacred Cultural and Natural Resources that are critical to the Chemehuevi, Serrano, Cahuilla, Mojave, Southern Piute and other local Comments: Tribes
This resolution speaks to the impacts that the Cadiz Water Project will have on important sacred, cultural, and natural places, items, and resources of the Chemehuevi, Serrano, Cahuilla, Mojave, Southern Piute and other Tribal Nations. Because of these impacts, the resolution requests that NCAI oppose the Cadiz Water Project because of the aforementioned negative impacts.
The Resolutions Committee suggested edits to the title of this resolution, and several whereas clauses, intended to broaden the resolution and make it more national in scope. An additional “be it further resolved” clause was suggested as well.
Recommendations:
Resolution is in order and should be forwarded to the Litigation and Governance Committee and Human, Religious, and Cultural Concerns Subcommittee for further deliberation and consideration.
N A T I O N A L C O N G R E S S O F A M E R I C A N I N D I A N S
The National Congress of American Indians Resolution #PDX-20-032
E X ECUT IV E C OMMITTEE TITLE: Opposition to Water Projects, such as tThe Proposed Cadiz Valley Water PRESIDENT Fawn R. Sharp Conservation, Recovery and Storage Project in the Mojave Desert, that will Quinault Indian Nation Iimpact Sacred Cultural and Natural Resources that are Ccritical to Tribal FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT Aaron Payment Nationsthe Chemehuevi, Serrano, Cahuilla, Mojave, Southern Piute and other Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians local Tribes
RECORDING SECRETARY Juana Majel-Dixon Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians WHEREAS, we, the members of the National Congress of American Indians
TREASURER of the United States, invoking the divine blessing of the Creator upon our efforts and Shannon Holsey Stockbridge-Munsee Band of purposes, in order to preserve for ourselves and our descendants the inherent sovereign Mohican Indians
rights of our Indian nations, rights secured under Indian treaties and agreements with R E G IO NAL V ICE - the United States, and all other rights and benefits to which we are entitled under the P RESIDENTS
ALASKA laws and Constitution of the United States and the United Nations Declaration on the Rob Sanderson, Jr. Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Rights of Indigenous Peoples, to enlighten the public toward a better understanding of Alaska the Indian people, to preserve Indian cultural values, and otherwise promote the health, EASTERN OKLAHOMA safety and welfare of the Indian people, do hereby establish and submit the following Norman Hildebrand Wyandotte Nation resolution; and GREAT PLAINS Larry Wright, Jr. Ponca Tribe of Nebraska WHEREAS, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) was MIDWEST Rebecca Crooks-Stratton established in 1944 and is the oldest and largest national organization of American Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments; and
NORTHEAST Tina Abrams Seneca Nation of Indians WHEREAS, the Mojave Desert in Southern California is the present-day
NORTHWEST home and the sacred ancestral lands of the Chemehuevi, Serrano, Cahuilla, Mojave, Leonard Forsman Suquamish Tribe Southern Piute and other TribesTribal Nations; and
PACIFIC Erica Mae Macias Cahuilla Band of Indians WHEREAS, these sacred ancestral lands harbor cultural and natural resources
ROCKY MOUNTAIN along with animals, plants and beings that are critical to the cosmologies, cultures and MARK POLLOCK Blackfeet Nation way of life of the aforementioned local TribesTribal Nations; and SOUTHEAST Nancy Carnley Ma-Chis Lower Creek Indian Tribe of Alabama WHEREAS, the proposed Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery and
SOUTHERN PLAINS Storage Project is not a conservation or environmentally friendly project; and Robert Tippeconnie Comanche Nation
SOUTHWEST WHEREAS, the proposed Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery and Joe Garcia Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo Storage Project will take enormous amounts of pristine sacred water from the local
WESTERN aquifers damaging and critically diminishing underground water and severely and Amber Torres Walker River Paiute Tribe irreparably impacting the sacred water springs and other cultural and natural resources
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER that are so significant to local tribal peoples and their future generations, their KEVIN ALLIS FOREST COUNTY POTAWATOMI cosmologies, cultures, and way of life; and COMMUNITY
NCAI HEADQUARTERS 1516 P Street, N.W. WHEREAS, the proposed Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery and Washington, DC 20005 202.466.7767 Storage Project will also place at risk the quality of the sacred underground water that 202.466.7797 fax is so vital to local tribal communities and their future generations; and www.ncai.org NCAI 2020 Annual Resolution PDX-20-032
WHEREAS, the Native American Land Conservancy (NALC) works closely with approximately thirty-two (32) local tribal communities to acquire, preserve and protect sacred ancestral lands; and
WHEREAS, the NALC also administers the Old Woman Mountain Preserve, which is a fundamental sacred place to the local tribal communities and will be impacted by the Cadiz Valley Water Project; and
WHEREAS, the NALC is actively advocating with local tribal communities and other organizations to vehemently oppose The Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery and Storage Project; and WHEREAS, similar water projects, both existing and proposed, raise similar concerns for Tribal Nations throughout Indian Country; and
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) hereby supports oppositionopposes any water project, such asto the proposed Cadiz Valley Water Project in the Mojave Desert, and similar projects, that currently impact, or will impact sacred cultural and natural resources critical to the Chemehuevi, Serrano, Cahuilla, Mojave, Southern Piute and other local Tribal Nations; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, thates in order to uphold tribal sovereignty and protect the health and welfare of said Tribal Nationses and their future generations, Tribal Nations must be included in the earliest planning and approval process for proposed water projects that potentially affect critical tribal water resources.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that this resolution shall be the policy of NCAI until it is withdrawn or modified by subsequent resolution.
CERTIFICATION
The foregoing resolution was adopted by the General Assembly at the 2020 Annual Session of the National Congress of American Indians, held Nov 8, 2020 - Nov 13, 2020, with a quorum present.
Fawn Sharp, President ATTEST:
Juana Majel Dixon, Recording Secretary
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N A T I O N A L C O N G R E S S O F A M E R I C A N I N D I A N S
The National Congress of American Indians Resolution #PDX-20-032
TITLE: Opposition to The Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery and
E X ECUT IV E C OMMITTEE Storage Project in the Mojave Desert that will impact Sacred Cultural and
PRESIDENT Natural Resources that are critical to the Chemehuevi, Serrano, Cahuilla, Fawn R. Sharp Quinault Indian Nation Mojave, Southern Piute and other local Tribes
1ST VICE PRESIDENT Aaron Payment Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa WHEREAS, we, the members of the National Congress of American Indians Indians of the United States, invoking the divine blessing of the Creator upon our efforts and RECORDING SECRETARY Juana Majel-Dixon purposes, in order to preserve for ourselves and our descendants the inherent Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians sovereign rights of our Indian nations, rights secured under Indian treaties and TREASURER Shannon Holsey agreements with the United States, and all other rights and benefits to which we are Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians entitled under the laws and Constitution of the United States and the United Nations
R E G IO NAL V ICE Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, to enlighten the public toward a P RESIDENTS better understanding of the Indian people, to preserve Indian cultural values, and ALASKA Rob Sanderson, Jr. otherwise promote the health, safety and welfare of the Indian people, do hereby Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska establish and submit the following resolution; and
EASTERN OKLAHOMA Norman Hildebrand Wyandotte Nation WHEREAS, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) was
GREAT PLAINS established in 1944 and is the oldest and largest national organization of American Larry Wright, Jr. Ponca Tribe of Nebraska Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments; and
MIDWEST Rebecca Crooks-Stratton Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux WHEREAS, the Mojave Desert in Southern California is the present-day Community home and the sacred ancestral lands of the Chemehuevi, Serrano, Cahuilla, Mojave, NORTHEAST Tina Abrams Southern Piute and other Tribes; and Seneca Nation of Indians
NORTHWEST Leonard Forsman WHEREAS, these sacred ancestral lands harbor cultural and natural Suquamish Tribe
PACIFIC resources along with animals, plants and beings that are critical to the cosmologies, Erica Rae Macias Cahuilla Band of Indians cultures and way of life of the aforementioned local Tribes; and
ROCKY MOUNTAIN Mark Pollock Blackfeet Nation WHEREAS, the proposed Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery and
SOUTHEAST Storage Project is not a conservation or environmentally friendly project; and Nancy Carnley Ma-Chis Lower Creek Indian Tribe of Alabama WHEREAS, the proposed Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery and SOUTHERN PLAINS Robert Tippeconnie Storage Project will take enormous amounts of pristine sacred water from the local Comanche Nation aquifers damaging and critically diminishing underground water and severely and SOUTHWEST Vacant irreparably impacting the sacred water springs and other cultural and natural
WESTERN resources that are so significant to local tribal peoples and their future generations, Vacant
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER their cosmologies, cultures, and way of life; and Kevin Allis FOREST COUNTY POTAWATOMI COMMUNITY WHEREAS, the proposed Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery and NCAI HEADQUARTERS Storage Project will also place at risk the quality of the sacred underground water 1516 P Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20005 that is so vital to local tribal communities and their future generations; and 202.466.7767 202.466.7797 fax www.ncai.org NCAI 2020 Annual Resolution PDX-20-032
WHEREAS, the Native American Land Conservancy (NALC) works closely with approximately thirty-two (32) local tribal communities to acquire, preserve and protect sacred ancestral lands; and
WHEREAS, the NALC also administers the Old Woman Mountain Preserve, which is a fundamental sacred place to the local tribal communities; and
WHEREAS, the NALC is actively advocating with local tribal communities and other organizations to vehemently oppose The Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery and Storage Project; and
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) hereby supports opposition to the Cadiz Valley Water Project in the Mojave Desert that will impact sacred cultural and natural resources critical to the Chemehuevi, Serrano, Cahuilla, Mojave, Southern Piute and other local Tribes to uphold tribal sovereignty and protect the health and welfare of said Tribes and their future generations.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that this resolution shall be the policy of NCAI until it is withdrawn or modified by subsequent resolution.
CERTIFICATION
The foregoing resolution was adopted by the General Assembly at the 2020 Annual Session of the National Congress of American Indians, held Nov 8, 2020 - Nov 13, 2020, with a quorum present.
Fawn Sharp, President ATTEST:
Juana Majel Dixon, Recording Secretary
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