"Our neighbors are gearing up for a new Indian War, but unlike the battles of the past, this one will be fought by lobbyists, lawyers, politicians and citizens' groups. Yes, after over 100 years, the Indians are back, big time.

We're talking about the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, aka the Tigua, sometimes spelled Tewa. The Tigua are the brilliant legislative creation of El Paso attorney Tom Diamond. The tribe claims to be the remnant of Native Americans who fled from New Mexico to El Paso along with the Spaniards during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. Arguments about whether or not the Tigua are really Indians still go on, but our legislature, in 1968, settled the question, at least legally, and recognized the Tigua as an Indian tribe. The fledgling tribe literally had to reinvent itself."

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Brewster County Judge Val Beard: Prepare for water war with Tiguas (The Alpine Avalance 6/3)