The Rappahannock Tribe has become the first tribal nation in the United States to successfully adopt a tribal constitution that recognizes the rights of nature, giving legal protection to the river it has lived alongside for thousands of years. The new constitution recognizes nine specific rights for the Rappahannock River, including rights to “naturally exist, flourish, regenerate, and evolve,” and to have “abundant, pure, clean, unpolluted water,” according to the text. The provisions protect both the river and its entire watershed. “As the Mother of our Nation, who has provided sustenance to our Tribe for thousands of years and continues to nurture us in many ways, both physically, and culturally, as well as spiritually, it is our inherent responsibility to protect her,” Rappahannock Chief Anne Richardson wrote in an email to Mongabay. “We know that our health and the health of others depends on her health therefore we will do all we can to ensure that extractive industries who threaten that, we will fight.” Rappahannock Chief Anne Richardson speaks at Fones Cliffs by the Rappahannock River. Photo courtesy of USFWS, Public Domain. The constitutional provisions allow both the tribe and individual tribal citizens to bring legal action to enforce these rights, with cases able to be brought in the name of the Rappahannock River itself. The tribal council must adopt necessary laws and codes to guarantee and enforce these rights. A tribal court system will be established by the tribe in 2025 to enforce these rights. This is important, Thomas…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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