Elevating Awareness of Native Salmon Culture and Policy

 Long before European settlers arrived on the shores of North America, tribes had already forged a deep and intricate relationship with the salmon that teemed in the region's rivers and streams. Archaeological findings paint a vivid picture of the significance of salmon to pre-contact Native American societies, revealing a history of over 10,000 years of reliance on this iconic fish. 

 Spokane Tribal elders spoke of a time when the rivers ran thick with salmon during their annual migration, a spectacle so magnificent that it painted the waters red with their sheer abundance. “Our ancestors spoke of a river so abundant with fish that it appeared you could simply walk across their backs to the other side. "

  After colonization stripped such sacred practices from Native life, this important ceremony was revived among Puget Sound tribes in the 1970s. Through these ceremonial practices, we honor not only the significance of the occasion itself but also the people and connections involved in it. 

As the salmon attempt to swim and jump upstream, they leap into the basket, some jumping as high as 10 to 12 feet. Accounts tell stories of Natives catching 250 to 300 salmon from one basket two or three times a day.

The Constitution declares that a federal treaty is “the supreme law of the land.”  Treaties therefore are superior to state constitutions and state laws. This means if a state law were to conflict with the conditions of a treaty, the treaty prevails. 

The Acquisition of Indian Lands for Grand Coulee Dam in June of 1940, authorized the Secretary of the Interior to acquire land on the Colville and Spokane Reservations, ultimately accounting for 21,100 acres, displacing thousands of Native Americans from their traditional territories.

 In the 1960s and 1970s, the construction of the Four Lower Snake River Dams in Eastern Washington marked a significant chapter in the region's history.  The creation of the dams necessitated the flooding of vast areas of traditional Indigenous lands.

 The Four Lower Snake River Dams represent the loss of ancestral lands, the disruption of sacred traditions, and the erosion of cultural identity. With the flooding of vast areas of traditional Indigenous territories, including crucial fishing grounds, the dams severed a vital link between these communities and their heritage. 

  Myth: Breaching the dams would lead to a significant loss of renewable energy.

Fact: Studies have shown that the energy currently generated by the Lower Snake River Dams can be replaced through a combination of energy efficiency measures, investments in alternative energy sources, and adjustments to the regional energy grid.  

The 2024 Washington State primary outcomes revealed a diverse array of candidates with varying platforms. Environmental protection, Relationships with Indigenous communities, and policy approaches, underscoring the need for voters to consider the broader implications of their choices this November.