Step 1: Read these several short articles:
- Wikipedia, “Agriculture in the prehistoric Southwest”
- Howard, “Hohokam Legacy: Desert Canals”
- Worster, “Comparing Papago and Hohokam Irrigation” (note: the Papago are now known as the Tohono O’odham, and they may be the descendants of the Hohokam)
- Wikipedia, “Water Law in the United States” – pay special attention to the section “Prior appropriation”
- “The Tohono O’odham” – pay special attention to the paragraph beginning “In the mid-1980s. . .”
- Laurenzi, “The Story of San Lucy Village”
- Interior Secretary, “Secretary Norton Signs Water Rights Agreement for Tohono O’odham Nation”
- McCool, “Indian Water Settlements: Negotiating Tribal Claims to Water”
Step 2: Write a blog post of at least 250 words that answers the question “Ethically and legally speaking, have the Tohono O’odham been adequately compensated for their losses since the U.S. annexed much of their lands in 1853 via the Gadsen Purchase?” Explain your answer.
Please note: I don’t expect you to write as a lawyer would, or to have any depth of legal knowledge beyond what is represented in these readings. At the heart of this question is another one: “What’s fair?” It’s important for you to think about these issues because this week and next you’ll continue to consider the multiple users of water in the American West, and I’ll ask you to consider what allocation of water is equitable and if people can engineer—physically and culturally—better systems for equitable water distribution.
Blog post due Saturday, March 12 by 11 p.m. Remember to categorize your post appropriately.
As usual, comment on your group members’ posts.