Focusing on cultural influences and minority control over water and mineral resources, this workshop collection contains two papers and two sets of comments regarding those papers. Studying the relationship between rural poverty and water resources in the Southwest, the first paper, by Helen Ingram and five others, examines how water is important to the poor and basic preconditions to improved water use by the poor. After identifying the Southwest's poor as mostly Indian and Hispanic people, the paper discusses regional patterns of water control, water use by the poor, economics of water, the poor who do and don't control water, and communal values of water. Conclusions suggest water control by poor people and strong community in-put regarding water allocation could positively affect economic development. Proposing areas of policy analysis based on current issues confronting natural-resource-owning Indian tribes as landowners and governments, the second paper, by Susan Williams, provides an historic overview focusing on tribes as landowners and their different resources including water, and minerals. It then suggests a research agenda and concludes that although resource development demands careful consideration by tribal members, resource-owning tribes can improve their economic well-being. Comments provide examples of cultural differences illustrating difficulties any outside intervention may face. (PM)