Māori Delegation Travels to U.S. to Meet with Tribes about Water
Emma Hughes
Gila River Indian News
A delegation of the Whanganui River Māori visited the Gila River Indian Community on Feb. 15 during a trip to the United States to discuss water shortages and rights. Like the Gila River, the Whanganui River is a major body of water; it spans 180 miles throughout the North Island of New Zealand.
The Whanganui delegation included two leaders, Turama Hawira and Keria Ponga, who were appointed as “Te Pou Tupua,”’ which means they are the face and voice of Te Awa Tupua—the way the Māori view the Whanganui River as a holistic entity.
In 2017, the historical Te Awa Tupua Claims Settlement passed after a 175-year battle. It recognizes the ancestral relationship between the Whanganui River and Whanganui iwi, the Māori, an Indigenous tribe that have lived and worked with the sacred river for centuries. The settlement provides for the river’s long-term protection and restoration by declaring it a living being in the eyes of the law.
Hawira is a highly experienced cultural advisor and educator, while Ponga brings tribal knowledge and eminent leadership.
“Like you, we are river people as well,” Ponga said. “We speak about our river the way that is our ancestor and we look out for our ancestor the way we would our grandparents, our children, our parents. To be the legal person-hood, as it’s termed, it enables myself and Hawira to speak to the Crown and those officials to defend our river.”
The delegation also included Raukura Naani Waitai, tribal historian; Mitch Roderick-Hall, Te Taituara for Te Pou Tupua; Wiari Rauhina, member of Te Karewao Advisory Council; Dr. Rawiri Tinirau, deputy chair of the post settlement governance entity; Annelia Hillman, Yurok tribal member; and Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr, Tainui.
They traveled to the U.S. to meet with Arizona tribes with ties to the Colorado River Basin during its historic drought. During their visit, the Whanganui delegation also met with members and leadership from the Hualapai Tribe, Colorado River Indian Tribes, GRIC and the Tohono O’odham Nation.
“What you have done in your homelands by protecting the bodies of water, the rivers, and fighting to classify them as living beings, is an incredible achievement that all—not just Indigenous peoples around the world, but everyone around the world—should follow,” said Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis.
The Community welcomed the delegation with a cultural presentation at the Huhugam Heritage Center (HHC), where Gov. Lewis and Lt. Gov. Monica Antone greeted the delegation and shared GRIC’s rich history.
“There’s a lot of similarities with the island people and what we go through,” said Lt. Gov. Monica Antone. “What I think is important between all tribes is that water significance. We all are fighting for all water. We realize water is precious to our people and how it’s going be in the future.”
Gov. Lewis expressed his gratitude to the delegation and shared the work of his father, Rodney B. Lewis, the first Native American to join the State Bar of Arizona and first Native American attorney to successfully argue and win a case before the United States Supreme Court.
Mr. Lewis’ diligence and commitment led to the 2004 Gila River Water Rights Settlement, the largest ever water-rights settlement at the time, which provided a budget of 653,500 acre-feet of water annually.
Gov. Lewis also read “The Law of the River,” a poem by Willardene Pratt Lewis.
Miss Gila River Kelsey Martinez, Jr. Miss Gila River Eliana Rhodes, and HHC staff attended the event. Martinez provided a prayer in O’otham and thanked the delegation for visiting with tribal leadership and members. Also, Keli Akimel Hua Modk Cudkdam (Gila River Basket Dancers) and the Pee Posh Bird singers and dancers shared traditional performances, followed by a gift exchange.
Gov. Lewis and Lt. Gov. Monica Antone gifted the delegation with shell necklaces with a wooden medallion carved with traditional O’otham designs handmade by GRIC artist Aaron Sabori.
The delegation then was given a tour of the HHC followed by a traditional meal provided by The Ranch Mobile Eatery and Hajun Kitchen.
The delegation also met with tribes during the 2023 Meeting of Sacred Waters, a forum at the Heard Museum on Feb. 16, to share Indigenous perspectives, values and reclamation of water.
That event was hosted by the Red Star International Inc., Inter Tribal Council of Arizona Inc., Te Pou Pupua and Arizona Tribal Leaders.
This is not the first time tribes from Arizona and New Zealand have met to discuss water. The forum included the debut of the short film From the Mountain to the Sea, which documents Tribal leadership from the state who traveled to Aotearoa (which means New Zealand in the Māori language) in 2020 to discuss increasing concerns over the Colorado River Basin with Whanganui River Māori.
In 2021, a virtual gathering was held with Indigenous leaders, policy makers and environmental activists from around the country and Aotearoa to continue the discussion.
