Press Release-Sacred Waters 2026 Ignites Hope with Indigenous-Led Solutions to Climate Crisis
Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to Join Indigenous Leaders in Dialogue on River Personhood and Land Protection
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Aleena M. Kawe, Systems Change Lead
Restoring Balance Collaborative
Sacred Waters 2026 Ignites Hope with Indigenous-Led Solutions to Climate Crisis
Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to Join Indigenous Leaders in Dialogue on River Personhood and Land Protection
Albuquerque, New Mexico – A Meeting of Sacred Waters 2026 returns to Isleta Pueblo on June 22-25, 2026, bringing Indigenous-led solutions for water to the forefront at a critical time amid the climate crisis. The gathering will feature Honorable Deb Haaland, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior, alongside other national and international Indigenous leaders in a dialogue about river personhood, land protection, and the future of Indigenous governance.
As drought, pollution, and weakened environmental protections threaten public health, food systems, and cultural practices, Tribal Nations are advancing values-based approaches grounded in stewardship and responsibility.
The Restoring Balance Collaborative (RBC) is bringing together Indigenous leaders, land and water stewards, knowledge keepers, and community partners from across the Pacific and beyond for this fourth global gathering. A Meeting of Sacred Waters supports local and global efforts to collectively restore the health of the world’s water sources as part of ancestral responsibilities to future generations.
“With the Rio Grande facing escalating climate impacts and weakened federal protections, a rights-based, Indigenous-led approach is not only timely, it may be one of the most powerful levers available to safeguard water, health, and cultural continuity in the region," said Aleena Kawe, Systems Transformation Lead of Restoring Balance Collaborative.
The gathering emerged from a transformative 2020 Indigenous-led exchange about water between leaders from the Colorado River Basin and the Whanganui River in New Zealand. That exchange explored how the Māori secured legal personhood for the Whanganui River, shaping new possibilities for Tribal water governance in the United States. Inspired by the experience and New Zealand’s recognition of the Whanganui River as a living entity, the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) recently granted personhood to the Colorado River under Tribal law, establishing an enforceable legal framework within its jurisdiction.
“Traveling to New Zealand and learning directly from Māori relatives expanded my understanding of what was possible for the Colorado River,” said CRIT Chairwoman Amelia Flores. “It reinforced the responsibility Tribal Nations carry to protect the river and affirmed that Indigenous leadership must be central to decisions that affect our waters for the benefit of future generations.”
On June 24, Chairwoman Flores, Turama Hawira, Pou Tupua of the Whanganui River, and former Secretary Haaland will convene for the Living Rivers Dinner, a dialogue exploring legal personhood for rivers and the future of Indigenous governance.
A Meeting of Sacred Waters 2026 is more than a conference. This gathering will catalyze Indigenous-led systems change by uplifting relational approaches to water, strengthening cultural connection, and inspiring practical solutions to protect the most vulnerable waterways in the nation and around the world.
Registration: https://cvent.me/xEMKWZ
About Restoring Balance CollaborativeRestoring Balance Collaborative is an Indigenous-led organization advancing systems change through community-driven leadership, cultural knowledge, and Indigenous stewardship. RBC supports global partners, Tribal Nations, and local communities working to restore balance across health, climate, and ecological systems.
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