California’s Native American tribes have been asserting themselves in the state’s endless water debates, speaking out against massive new water projects and for salmon and improved river flows. These voices are getting a newly respectful hearing, but how much influence do they really have? I explore the question in a new piece for Maven’s Notebook, “the water news central.” I rely largely on a new study by the Public Policy Institute of California on the topic of tribal water rights. Conclusion: Indian ownership of land, whether in old reservations or in new acquisitions as pursued by the Land Back movement, is the best key to tribal power in the water world.