About:
Tó Nizhóní Ání, or “Sacred Water Speaks,” is a Diné-led nonprofit organization established in 2001. Our organization originates from the Big Mountain community on Dził Yíjiin (the Black Mesa region). It was formed in the spirit of the Diné elders who fought to protect Black Mesa from industry exploitation.
Tó Nizhóní Ání was organized to address the waste and misuse of precious groundwater by the coal industry on Black Mesa. The Navajo Aquifer has long been the sole source of potable water for the Diné and Hopi living on the Black Mesa plateau in northeast Arizona. The Navajo Aquifer, or N-Aquifer, is described as ice-age pristine drinking water and surpasses EPA standards. The natural fissures in the earth allow the water to come to the surface as springs and seeps, bringing substance to the people that call Black Mesa home.
Year Supported: 2026
Grant Type: Protection of sacred place, Food security through sustainable community-based agriculture, Protection of water
Location: Navajo and Hopi, AZ