Since the beginning of the reservation era, conflicts over Indian water rights were largely confined to the courtroom. In Native Waters, Daniel McCool examines the shift in the 1980s toward negotiated settlements, describing their dramatic impact on tribes and non-Indian communities in the American West. Viewing these settlements as a second treaty era, McCool analyzes whether they secure water futures for reservations or force tribes to cede resources, using case studies, testimony, and social science methods to explain processes and outcomes in accessible language.