The Willamette River: Where I grew up
The first stop on this tour is not actually on the Columbia river, but on the Willamette, which feeds into the Columbia. This is because this is my birthplace, and where I first became connected to the water.From when I was born to when I was 8, my family lived on the Wilammette river just outside of Portland, Oregon. Some of my closest memories are of my dad and my brother going out in our canoe off of the dock by our house, and paddling over to the island to pick blackberries. We would also take the occasional mud bath.And although I didn't know it, this is actually distantly reflective of how the Chinook people lived, as they traveled the waters with canoes made with cedar, and picked the native huckleberries. The Chinook people were the original inhabitants of the Wilammette valley and the Columbia River Gorge, and this area was specifically the Clackamas people, which is a subgroup of the Chinook. Before settlers came, the Willamette valley was an extremely wealthy place for the native americans. This is because salmon was extremely abundant, and there were over 100 varieties of edible plants. Also, although the people still migrated with the seasons, they were more stationary than other tribes because of this abundance.In the spring they gathered camas roots, in summer they lived in summer camps to fish and hunt and gather berries, in fall they burned praries to harvest seeds and preserve the last runs of salmon, and in winter they would return to their permanent villages.On the Willamette, before the dams, there was a waterfall called "Hyas Tyee Tumwater," translated to "Great Chief Waterfall," is based on the term "tumtum" meaning heartbeat. This is because to the Clackamas people, the falls was the heartbeat to the Willamette. The First People of Clackamas County, Oregon (usgennet.org)
Bonneville Dam
Growing up, we would commonly take weekend trips to Hood River, where we would later move to. A common rest stop along I-84 from the trip from Portland to Hood River is the Bonneville Dam, which also includes a fish hatchery and visitor center, where visitors can see sturgeons and salmon through the glass. It was also a common spot for field trips in middle school.For Chinook people, salmon are a symbol of lifeblood. They not only provide as physical sustenance, but they are also a central part of their religion and culture. In fact, they held ceremonies each year in longhouses called the First Salmon Feast. Here is a story that they tell: "When the Creator was preparing to bring humans onto the earth, He called a grand council of all the animal people, plant people, and everything else. In those days, the animals and plants were more like people because they could talk. He asked each one to give a gift to the humans—a gift to help them survive, since they were pitiful and would die without all their help. The first to come forward was Salmon. He gave the humans his body for food. The second give a gift was Water. She promised to be the home to the salmon. After that, everyone else gave the humans a gift, but it was special that the first to give their gifts were Salmon and Water. When the humans finally arrived, the Creator took away the animals’ power of speech and gave it to the humans. He then told the humans that since the animals could no longer speak for themselves, it was their responsibility to speak for them."The salmon is a main focal point of their religion. The Chinook people's main belief is of the Great Spirit, which is based on the spirit and animal deities that protect humans. This is why they greatly value the animals and land around them, and even view them as superior. For this reason, the salmon is considered holy and sacred, and they believe that the salmons are martyrs, because they sacrifice their lives to sustain humans. Why Salmon are Important to the Tribes - CRITFCTribal Salmon Culture - CRITFCChinook Native Americans: Religion and Beliefs (theamericanhistory.org)
Rooster Rock
Although I grew up in Portland, my family would often take weekend trips to Hood River, which is an hour East of portland along the Columbia River corridor and along I-84. Rooster Rock is a memorable landmark for me from this drive. It also holds another memory, because one summer I raced there in outrigger canoes. Although outrigger canoes spacifically originated in the polynesian islands, there is still certainly some connection for me with the canoes used by the Chinook people.Canoes were the main method of transport on the river for the Chinook. Small canoes were most common, and used for short trips. To make them, they used the Western Red Cedar, as it is soft, lightweight, and durable. It also naturally contains oil that inhibits rot. They built the canoes by hollowing out the logs, using hot water and rocks to soften the food. These canoes were meticulously carved, and often decorative pieces would be attatched to the stern. One thing we learned in school is that indigenous people used sap from the trees to seal the canoes, and I used to think about this when I climbed big pine trees, and got sap all over my hands.Canoes also played a spiritual role -- when people passed away, they were often buried in their canoe, as they were considered one of their most important belongings.Here's a quote by a Chinook carver Tony Johnson: “People wore canoes out. Canoes have a lifespan. So our old cemeteries were full not only of dead people. They’re also full of dead canoes. We buried our people with things that were important to them. And our old cemeteries were full of canoes placed up on supports or in trees or however else we could elevate them above the ground. And inside of those canoes were individuals or multiple individuals from families. So, you know, they actually had a life after death also.” (quoted from The Wisdom of the Elders website.)“canoes have a lifespan” – Chinook Story“Some of these logs want to become canoes” – Chinook Story
White Salmon Bridge
The White Salmon Bridge connects Hood River on the Oregon side, my hometown, to White Salmon on the Washington side. This is an important place for me because you can so clearly see the whole of the Columbia River Gorge -- you can see Mt. Hood in the south and Mt. Adams in the north, you can see the Hood River flowing out into the sand bar and the White Salmon river flowing out into the other side, and you can see miles and miles in each direction up the Gorge. I always feel in awe and extremely lucky whenever I cross it, since it is just such a magnificent place. This is a good place to tell a Sinixt story about how the Columbia River came to be. A long time ago, before there was a river, Cayote was wandering around looking for something to eat, when he realized there was a beautiful woman in his vicinity: Rain. But he thought himself ugly, so he didn't think he had a chance. However, he bagan to sing a love song, and he won her over. As he sang the song, he promised Rain a gift if she shared her own gift, and she agreed; Rain reached into her chest, tore out her hard, and cast it down, and where it landed the heart's blood became the Columbia River. They flowed down together until they reached Ocean, and Cayote fell in love with her too. To prove his continued love to Rain, Cayote reached into himself and gave all the plants and animals to Rain, and finally the Sinixt people. He said that the Sinixt were there to look after Rain's heart and the land, and that each year his best swimmers (salmon) would swim down the river to Ocean, but then make their way back up the river to Rain's heart to proved that he still loved her.How The Columbia River Came To Be | Sinixt Nation
Exit 62: Going Home
This is the exit I would take going home off of the I-84 highway. It represents not just my house but the town as a whole, and the entire process of industrialization and colonization. Before the town was named Hood River, it was named Dog River, and before that it was named Waucoma, meaning "place of big trees." That is actually the name of my favorite bookstore downtown, but I had never known what it had meant before now. When it was in the processed of being colonized, Wal-la-chin was the chief of the band of people living there. This chief strongly resisted removal, declaring "I have said that I would not sell my country and I have but one talk." At the time in 1855, their tribe was about 1377 people.With that being said, it is and interesting paradox that this place is a home to me that I cherish, but it was also a home to these people, the Wascoes and other tribes, as well.I Have Only One Talk: The Dog Rivers Refuse to Remove – The Quartux Journal (ndnhistoryresearch.com)History - City of Hood River
Koberg Beach
One of our favorite beach hangout spots in the summertime was Koberg Beach. It was our favorite because it wasn't so crowded as the main waterfront since it was a short drive away, and it also had cliffs to jump off of into the water. I remember there were also often wooden platforms that were build out from the cliff face that were visible from the beach, and that sometimes we would swim out to -- these were platforms for fishing. There were also fishnets floating from makeshift buoys out a little ways from the beach, so we couldn't swim too far, and there were also certain times where the beach was closed because people from the reservations were putting in the nets -- and we often bought our fish from them. Fishing culture was and still is extremely important to the native people. To catch salmon, they used nets or darts. The nets were made of nettle fibers, and the darts were made of two pieces of curved bone bound by an iron point. They also fished for sturgeon with either a net or a hook. The hooks were made of iron and bound with cord of nettle, and spaced out on a line made of bark. They attatched a rock to the end of the line and threw it across the river with a buoy at the other end, and they baited them with smaller fish. Chinook Fishing, ca. 1810 | Excerpt - PUBLIC HISTORY PDXOverall. Chinook ate many fish such as salmon, sturgeon, steelhead trout, eulachon and herring. They then often preserved their fish by drying it and pounding it into a powder. Chinook Salmon - National Maritime Historical Society (seahistory.org)https://web.pdx.edu/~b5cs/virtualmeier/society.html
