This month, we take an in-depth look at life in Indian Country. HCN and ProPublica’s four-part package reveals how Colorado River Basin tribes in Arizona — including the Navajo, Chemehuevi, Hopi and Tohono O’odham — must fight for every drop of the water they were guaranteed by a 1908 Supreme Court decision. We consider the pros and cons of hunting bison just outside Yellowstone, and why Newtok, Alaska’s residents have had to wait decades to relocate while climate change destroys their village. And we feature a profile of Larissa FastHorse, the first-known Native American woman to have a play on Broadway, as well as a witty essay about one writer’s love-hate affair with Native romance novels. Elsewhere, U.S. and Central American climate migrants are fleeing to Baja California, and public education in the West is suffering from lack of funds. Did you know that elk and other wild animals have unique regional dialects? How can we help “horse girls” hold on to their wildness as they grow up?
‘The fight for our lives’: Arizona’s water regime limits the Hopi Tribe’s future
A 45-year legal saga leaves the tribe fighting for their economic ambitions through water access.
How private interests benefit from tribal water settlements
When power players like mining and agriculture are involved, tribal nations, usually the senior-most water-rights holders, often must fight obstruction.
Decades after the Colorado River flooded the Chemehuevi’s land, the tribe still doesn’t have its share
Nearly all of the tribe’s water remains in the river and ends up being used by Southern California cities.
Public education in the West is running short of funds
Is the ‘grand foundation’ crumbling?
Letters to the editor, July 2023
Comments from readers.
Elk calls have regional dialects
Whales, bats and birds sound different depending on where they live. So do elk, according to new research.
The Trojan horse of Native theater
Larissa FastHorse’s ‘The Thanksgiving Play’ made Broadway history. That’s a good thing — right?
Sister Storms
A poem by Jacqueline Balderrama.
Triumphs and good news
Happenings at HCN.
How northern Mexico became a climate migration destination
U.S. and Central American immigrants are converging in Baja California after disasters.
It’s all about mutual care
What’s needed in times of injustice?
Baby bears, white whales and ‘freaky-looking fanged fish’
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
‘I will grip onto this space as hard as I can because we need it’
#iamthewest: Giving voice to the people that make up communities in the region.
Let’s talk about Indian romance novels
If you’ve ever gawked in disbelief at a hunky white man in redface, this one’s for you.
Treaty rights, bison and the country’s most controversial hunt
Last winter’s harvest in the Yellowstone region illustrates the complexity of bison restoration.
Horse girls: The wild and fearless
An author reflects on an encounter in Wyoming’s Red Desert and motherhood.
As Newtok, Alaska, crumbles, residents are left in a dangerous limbo
The town is supposed to move, but federal funding and complex logistics mean most residents are stuck.
How Arizona squeezes tribes for water
A High Country News/ProPublica investigation shows that Arizona goes to unusual lengths in water negotiations to extract restrictive concessions from tribes.