From the thousands of photos it uses for publication each year, TIME Magazine compiles its Top 100 Photos each year. This year, TIME selected a photo of Linda Jackson (Diné), who lives in Monument Valley on the Navajo Nation.
Jackson’s photo was one of several in TIME’s September 24 article highlighting the lack of running water on the nation’s largest Indian reservation, which is geographically the size of West Virginia.
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Across the Navajo Nation, one in three is Navajoor Diné–residents must bring water to their homes, a resource that everyone knows is essential to life.
“The Diné use the least amount of water per person of all people in the US, and pay the most,” TIME writes in the article.
The average American uses 16 gallons of water for bathing every day. For Jackson, a full shower requires only 6.5 liters, so in the bathroom built separately from her house, she limits herself to washing her hair.
“My kids would say, ‘Mom, have we ever had running water?’” says Linda Jackson. “And I’d say, ‘Kids, we did all the running.’”
Jackson’s photo shows her washing her hair instead of showering due to the lack of water.
“The tribal park told us that we cannot plant trees because it will ruin the landscape. We want to plant fruit trees so as not to be dependent on Walmart. Residents suffer for the preservation of beauty. I said to them, ‘Why didn’t you say that when you drilled the uranium mines?'” Jackson told TIME.
Click to go to TIME’s Top 100 photo list. Click to go to TIME’s Top 100 photo list.
About the Author: “Levi \”Calm Before the Storm\” Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation) is the founder, publisher and editor of Native News Online. Rickert was awarded the Best Column 2021 Native Media Award for the print category\/ online by the Native American Journalists Association. He is a member of the advisory board of the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association. He can be reached at levi@nativenewsonline.net.
Contact: levi@nativenewsonline.net
