Hybrid essay and timeline
by Rena Priest
A look to the past, present and future on topics such as overfishing, dams and aquaculture; a reading as Washington State Poet Laureate; and a historic timeline of fisheries events in tribal relations.
Image credits:
(top left) Members of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe walk past the Muckleshoot Community Hall east of Auburn, beginning a 13-mile trek to call attention to their dispute with the state over fishing rights, Larry Dion / The Seattle Times archives, 1966
(top right) Salmon catch on the floor of an unidentified Puget Sound cannery between 1897 and 1900, unknown
(middle left) cover image, I Sing the Salmon Home, Rena Priest
(artwork) Rico Worl
The Long Fight for Treaty Rights
Archival materials offer the voices of tribal leaders such as David Sohappy and Billy Frank, Jr., as well as their opponents and allies. It also includes moving oral history excerpts from tribal elders on topics ranging from displacement of tribal reefnet fishers, to overfishing by canneries, and the installation of dams.
The Catch
A treaty is honored, but there is a catch, and not a good one for tribal fishers. US v. WA acknowledges tribal treaty rights to fish but comes with stipulations. Tribes must operate hatcheries as a mitigation tool for replenishing fish harvested by treaty fishers. This article looks at how aquaculture and participation in the commercial fishery changed the ancient relationship between tribes and salmon.
Vision for a Just Future
For Washington lawmakers envisioning a just future for salmon and tribes requires an act of imagination, while for tribes the vision for ecological justice is an act of remembrance. What did life look like before colonial laws and activities depleted fish runs and dismantled ancient sustainable tribal lifeways?
These Abundant and Generous Homelands
Washington State Poet Laureate Rena Priest read "These Abundant and Generous Homelands" at the 2023 State of the State. Rena wrote the poem to the theme of 'A More Equitable 2023'.
Timeline
Important milestones and events in tribal relations to our sacred fishery.
