For thousands of years, the bountiful land and waters we now call the Puget Sound and the Salish Sea regions have provided a remarkable home to humans, with food, shelter, and connections with others. Coast Salish people rely on salmon and other fish, and shellfish; such as clams, oysters, and mussels. However, especially for the past two centuries, human activities have changed this place in ways that have strongly impacted people who rely on these natural resources.
Drawing from a chapter in We Are Puget Sound: The Human Connection, this virtual event will focus on the integral role salmon play today, both for Coast Salish people whose ancestors have been here for millennium and for newcomers with more recent roots. Salmon are keystone species and define our region, providing spiritual, cultural, and physical sustenance, and connection to the broader world around us. This fall marks the return of the salmon to streams throughout the Salish Sea –and the 50th anniversary of the tear gassing of Puyallup fishers that led to the Boldt Decision, the landmark legal ruling that reaffirmed the rights of Washington’s Indian tribes to fish. Please join us to honor, listen, and learn of these connections through stories about people’s relationships with salmon. Together we’ll also learn about the Tribal lands we live on and how to support Tribal Treaty rights.
Joining the event will be:
- Joseph Pavel, Skokomish Tribe
- Adrienne Ross Scanlan, author Turning Homeward
- Mindy Roberts, Washington Environmental Council
- Erika Lundahl, Braided River