The word engineering itself has much history to it. It can be used in many contexts but in my opinion, the main idea of the word engineering is to mean the build up of one thing. If you look at mechanical engineering, you are learning to build or fix something mechanical such as a car. If you look at civil engineering, it means the build up of the Army’s forces. In the way we use it, is the build up of historical events that brought us here today with the playing terms of the economy, laws created, peace treaties, or something as simple as water. An example that I can use to show this from our class would be module 9, the most recent dealing with the Native Americans. Time after time, new treaties were made, new adjustments in living were made, some of these things could have cause much conflict, and they did, but it got us to where we are today.
Native Water Use and Water Rights in the American West
After researching the Tohono O’odham tribe and how the United States seized their lands in Arizona, and parts of New Mexico it is hard to be proud as a US citizen. This tribe, for the most part, minded their own business. But this peaceful tribe just happened to reside in a area that both Mexico and the United States were fighting for. In in the early 1800’s O’odham fell to Mexican rule.
In 1853, through the Gadsden Purchase, the United States purchased some of this area from Mexico, making O’odham land divided. At this time in America, the development of mining and transcontinental railroads was increasing at a rapid rate. Resulting in the loss of the tribes land to the US.
In more recent years of the Gadsden Purchase, the Tohono O’odham tribe has attempted to get ownership of their native lands back. The US government did not want to fulfill their wishes because it would include separating from all federal/state authority. However the government did provide the tribe with better water storage and delivery systems, under the condition that they will only use a certain amount per year. They have also given some of the land back to the tribe that was previously lost to promote a better environment for the Tohono O’odham people.
I believe that the government has tried very hard to provide compensation to the Tohono O’odham people for what was taken from them. But these people were conquered by a bigger and stronger nation that wanted their lands. The tribe never wanted to be part of the United States. I believe that if the government wanted to make up for what happened to these people, they should give them back what is rightfully theirs and leave them alone. But the US government has to have their hand in everything and refuses to loose any source of power.
Water Rights
I would say that on the lawful side of this question, they may have been compensated for what they have lost originally in the 1800’s. They got only positive outcomes out of that deal in terms of aches of land and the treated water, but other problems did arise out of this deal. The rights of water use are stated to be linked to many other plagues on the community, mainly unemployment, single parent families and illegal drug activities. So with all this considering, I believe that the people have not been given a fair deal. Sure we have given them some land to them to do what they please, but we cannot really expect that to fix the problem. Just giving people land and leaving it like that only made matters worse. It’s stated in the The Tohono O’odham article that problems today could be called even more challenging than that of twenty years ago. The people who are angry the most about this situation are actually the younger generations. And all honesty, who would blame them? They had to grow up under these conditions and because of it probable made them bitter. They don’t even take advantage of the college prorgrame there. People who are an enrolled member of the Tohono O’odham Nation can go to college at almost no out-of-pocket expense, which is great, but little actually do it.
To summaries, I believe that the people there have gotten the short end of the stick. They had their land removed and relocated and that really messed up their community with many problems to go with it.
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