The Wanapum (River People) and the Salmon People.
Umatilla Tribal leader Don Sampson prepares to "make sweat" in his sweathouse at his home near Mission, Oregon. He slices pieces of a root called "Kowsch" to make a herbal bag that will provide purifying vapors when squeezed over the hot rocks. Sampson was among a group of individuals found to have high levels of toxins in the tissues of their bodies as the result of consuming a diet high in fish. Don had bisphenol A levels that were higher than 90% of people that have been tested in national biomonitoring studies. He also had the highest total PFCs as compared to the other participants. Bisphenol A (BPA) is found in reusable plastic water bottles and baby bottles, the linings in metal food cans and dental sealants and has been linked to reduced fertility, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and obesity. Recent scientific studies have shown that even low-dose exposure can have negative health impacts. PFCs (Perfluorinated chemicals) are a group of chemicals used as surfactants and stain protectors and are a linked to cancer and organ damage.
The tribes along the Columbia--from the Nez Perce, the Cayuse, the Umatilla, high in the mountains to the Chinook, and the Clatsop at the mouth of the Columbia--have always had a sacred bond with the Salmon People. Tradition holds that he Salmon would nourish the tribes (sometimes collectively called "Wanapum" or River People), and in return, the tribes would protect the salmon runs. Reverence for the salmon is a central tenet in the "Washat," the Indian religion.
The "First Foods Feast" celebrates the return of the salmon each spring--the end of winter, and the resurrection of life. Don Sampson has directed tribal fisheries and led attempts to protect the salmon runs, clean up river pollution and return salmon to the nearly perfect food that it should be.
The Columbia River is the lifepulse of the Pacific Northwest. Pollution that shows up in salmon runs and the tribes that rely on the salmon for sustenance are just "walking the point" for the rest of society, who live further from nature, and will likely be even more effected by the chemical filth we're nesting in.
The Wanapum (River People) and the Salmon People.
Umatilla Tribal leader Don Sampson prepares to "make sweat" in his sweathouse at his home near Mission, Oregon. He slices pieces of a root called "Kowsch" to make a herbal bag that will provide purifying vapors when squeezed over the hot rocks. Sampson was among a group of individuals found to have high levels of toxins in the tissues of their bodies as the result of consuming a diet high in fish. Don had bisphenol A levels that were higher than 90% of people that have been tested in national biomonitoring studies. He also had the highest total PFCs as compared to the other participants. Bisphenol A (BPA) is found in reusable plastic water bottles and baby bottles, the linings in metal food cans and dental sealants and has been linked to reduced fertility, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and obesity. Recent scientific studies have shown that even low-dose exposure can have negative health impacts. PFCs (Perfluorinated chemicals) are a group of chemicals used as surfactants and stain protectors and are a linked to cancer and organ damage.
The tribes along the Columbia--from the Nez Perce, the Cayuse, the Umatilla, high in the mountains to the Chinook, and the Clatsop at the mouth of the Columbia--have always had a sacred bond with the Salmon People. Tradition holds that he Salmon would nourish the tribes (sometimes collectively called "Wanapum" or River People), and in return, the tribes would protect the salmon runs. Reverence for the salmon is a central tenet in the "Washat," the Indian religion.
The "First Foods Feast" celebrates the return of the salmon each spring--the end of winter, and the resurrection of life. Don Sampson has directed tribal fisheries and led attempts to protect the salmon runs, clean up river pollution and return salmon to the nearly perfect food that it should be.
The Columbia River is the lifepulse of the Pacific Northwest. Pollution that shows up in salmon runs and the tribes that rely on the salmon for sustenance are just "walking the point" for the rest of society, who live further from nature, and will likely be even more effected by the chemical filth we're nesting in.