'Land Back' - Owens Valley, California

"The vast territory known as Owens Valley in California was home for centuries to Native Americans who lived along its rivers and creeks fed by snowmelt that cascaded down the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada. Then came the European settlers, and over time, the Native Americans tribes lost access to nearly all of that land. Eventually, the water was lost too: ...

Less familiar is what happened to the Owens Valley, and the people who lived there, after most of the water was sent south. Owens Lake is now a patchwork of saline pools covered in pink crystals and wetlands studded with gravel mounds designed to catch the dust. And today, the four recognized tribes in the area have less than 2,000 acres (800 hectares) of reservation land, estimated Teri Red owl, a local Native American leader. 

But things are changing, tribal members say. They have recently reclaimed corners of the valley, buoyed by the growing momentum across the United States to return land to Indigenous stewardship, also known as the "Land Back" movement." p.7.

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culture indigenous peoples history	BACK justice

Cowan, J. Native Americans reclaim lost land in California, The New York Times International Edition, June 18, 2024. p.7.