History
Today, more than ever, indigenous people in the United States face numerous challenges to their natural resources and increasing difficulties in protecting those resources. In the twenty-first century, there is no issue more important than water. The outcome of many Indian water rights negotiations and litigation efforts has the potential to boost the future economic development of many indian tribes.
In the 1800s, many Indian tribes signed treaties ceding large tracts of land to the United States and agreed to settle on reservations to preserve their tribal societies and maintain their way of life. The United States Government guaranteed that the Indian tribes would have sufficient land and natural resources on the reservations to be self-sufficient. In 1908, the Supreme Court held in Winters vs. United States, 207 U.S. 564 (1908), that when Indian reservations were established, the United States reserved water rights and other resources necessary for current and future uses.