Reclaiming the river: Tribes push for change on the Colorado River
Members of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe say their traditional name is Aha Makav, meaning the People of the River. Geoglyphs adorn the desert along the lower reaches of the Colorado River, where the Mojave people flourished long before Europeans set foot in North America. But when representatives of the seven states signed the Colorado River Compact in 1922, the agreement included only a brief mention of the government’s obligation to tribes. For decades, leaders of the Fort Mojave Tribe struggled to secure their water rights.
Albert Brave Tiger Lee is a Southern California native, son of Korean immigrants, a father and a staff videographer at the Los Angeles Times. His work spans various mediums of visual storytelling and has been recognized for various disciplines including a national Emmy Award for News and Documentary, an RFK Journalism Award, Pictures of the Year International honors, the National Press Photographers Assn.’s Best of Photojournalism Award and Columbia University’s Dart Award.
Ian James is a reporter who focuses on water and climate change in California and the West. Before joining the Los Angeles Times in 2021, he was an environment reporter at the Arizona Republic and the Desert Sun. He previously worked for the Associated Press as a correspondent in the Caribbean and as bureau chief in Venezuela. Follow him on Bluesky @ianjames.bsky.social and on X @ByIanJames.
