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The Klamath River has the same rights as people according to a new law passed by the Yurok tribal council. In 2017, a New Zealand court decision granted person status to the Whanganui River after the longest-running litigation in the country’s history. Maori tribal members consider the river their relative. Indigenous people all over the world praise efforts to grant legal person status to rivers. But it also sets the stage for environmental legal battles.
Guests:
Dr. Rosalyn LaPier (Blackfeet/Métis) – associate professor in the Environmental Studies Program at the University of Montana and a research associate at the National Museum of Natural History
Mari Margil – associate director of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund
Amy Cordalis (Yurok) – general counsel for the Yurok Tribe and a fisherwoman
Break 1 music: Intertribal (song) Cree Confederation (artist) Pakosiyimitan (album)
Break 2 music: Way Ya Hey Ya (song) Dawa (artist) A Joyful Defiant Tone (album)
