Dispossession according to the oxford dictionary, is the action of depriving someone of land, property, and other possessions. In this paper, I shall focus on the citation; "“The rhetoric around the construction of these dams, and in particular the central concept of “beneficial use,” promoted a particular water logic that carries through to present day [indigenous/Cucapá] politics.” (2013:26). Water is not only a major source of livelihood for the Cucapá people but it is so important to them they also see it as a spiritual being, and the creation of dams has hindered the flow of their most prized resource. This has gone on to affect the lives of the Cucapá and because they are an indigenous people they are highly criticized for their use
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This paper would simply focus, firstly on water and how important it is to the Cucapá, and secondly, the "beneficial use" of water. With these two discussions, I hope to open up your mind on why this citation offers most insight into the dispossession of these people.
Water, being so important to everyone who walks the earth as the most sought after resource in existence, has so many significances in the life of the Cucapá people. So let's look at water in the lives of the Cucapá. The Cucapá are an indigenous people who have relied on the waters of the Colorado river for a very long time now. They not only use it as a means of livelihood but also as a spiritual source. The Cucapá used fishing as a major source of occupation and food but this was later on obstructed by the construction of the Hoover dam- the first of the big dams on the Colorado river- on the Colorado river which therefore affected the flow of water to the Hardy river. The Hardy river being a "tributary to the Colorado river, and the only water that still reaches the area. This river consists primarily of agricultural runoff" (2013:3). After the Hoover dam "there have been about eighty dams and diversions built on the rivers of the Colorado watershed. In the process, the flow of
This paper would simply focus, firstly on water and how important it is to the Cucapá, and secondly, the "beneficial use" of water. With these two discussions, I hope to open up your mind on why this citation offers most insight into the dispossession of these people.
Water, being so important to everyone who walks the earth as the most sought after resource in existence, has so many significances in the life of the Cucapá people. So let's look at water in the lives of the Cucapá. The Cucapá are an indigenous people who have relied on the waters of the Colorado river for a very long time now. They not only use it as a means of livelihood but also as a spiritual source. The Cucapá used fishing as a major source of occupation and food but this was later on obstructed by the construction of the Hoover dam- the first of the big dams on the Colorado river- on the Colorado river which therefore affected the flow of water to the Hardy river. The Hardy river being a "tributary to the Colorado river, and the only water that still reaches the area. This river consists primarily of agricultural runoff" (2013:3). After the Hoover dam "there have been about eighty dams and diversions built on the rivers of the Colorado watershed. In the process, the flow of