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8 

ARIZONA v. NAVAJO NATION 

Opinion of the Court 

In the Tribe’s view, the 1868 treaty imposed a duty on the 
United States to take affirmative steps to secure water for
the Navajos.  With respect, the Tribe is incorrect.  The 1868 
treaty “set apart” a reservation for the “use and occupation 
of  the  Navajo  tribe.”  15  Stat.  668.    But  it  contained  no 
“rights-creating or duty-imposing” language that imposed a 
duty  on  the  United  States  to  take  affirmative  steps  to
secure  water  for  the  Tribe.    Navajo  Nation,  537  U. S.,  at 
506. 

Notably, the 1868 treaty did impose a number of specific 
duties on the United States.  Cf. Jicarilla, 564 U. S., at 184– 
185.  For example, the treaty required the United States to 
construct  a  number  of  buildings  on  the  reservation,
including  schools,  a  chapel,  a  carpenter  shop,  and  a 
blacksmith  shop.  15  Stat.  668–669.  The  treaty  also
mandated that the United States provide teachers for the
Navajos’ schools for at least 10 years, and to provide articles 
of clothing or other goods to the Navajos.  Id., at 669.  And 
the treaty required the United States to supply seeds and 
agricultural implements for up to three years.  Ibid. 

But  the  treaty  said  nothing  about  any  affirmative  duty 
for the United States to secure water.  And as this Court 
has  stated,  “Indian  treaties  cannot  be  rewritten  or 

—————— 
apply  only  in  the  context  of  claims  seeking  damages  from  the  United
States  pursuant  to  the  Tucker  Act  and  Indian  Tucker  Act.    See  28 
U. S. C. §§1491, 1505; see also Brief for Navajo Nation 29.  But Jicarilla’s 
framework  for  determining  the  trust  obligations  of  the  United  States
applies to any claim seeking to impose trust duties on the United States, 
including  claims  seeking  equitable  relief.    That  is  because  Jicarilla’s 
reasoning  rests  upon  separation  of  powers  principles—not  on  the 
particulars of the Tucker Acts.  As Jicarilla explains, the United States
is a sovereign, not a private trustee, and therefore the trust obligations
of the United States to the Indian tribes are established and governed by 
treaty, statute, or regulation, rather than by the common law of trusts. 
See 564 U. S., at 165, 177.  Stated otherwise, the trust obligations of the 
United States to the Indian tribes are established by Congress and the 
Executive, not created by the Judiciary.