By Chadd Cawson
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Columbia River Salmon Restoration Initiative (CRSRI) will be hosting its second annual Bringing Home the Salmon Festival virtually May 3 and 4.

“COVID-19 certainly has played a part in the festival being held online,” says Mark Thomas Chair of the Executive Working Group for Bringing the Salmon Home. “But it also allows people from faraway places to come together and discuss this important transboundary work to reintroduce salmon to the upper Columbia River.”

 The festival kicks off online on Tuesday at 10 a.m. PDT. The festival’s opening ceremony is designed to unite diverse communities. Mark Thomas will host the opening welcome while drumbeats from within the Syilx Okanagan, Ktunaxa and Secwépemc Nations carry a message, through songs, prayers and stories that ripple out from the Columbia’s headwaters to beyond the mouth of the Columbia River.

“We are offering a powerful program this year,” says Thomas. “We have a two-day festival planned and speakers from all five participating governments, as well as Tribal guests from the US. All of the events will be online and are free to attend.”

After an hour break for lunch the first day will continue with a presentation on the research to reintroduce salmon and the progress of passages for anadromous fish, at the helm is Dr. Misun Kang. The collective challenges will be discussed to heal a river system that is impacted by hydro-electric dams, habitat disruption, climate change, development, and industrial exploitation on both sides of the Canada-USA border.

This presentation will aim to educate about the 14 large mainstem dams on the river; most dams in the upper Columbia currently lack fish passage. Eighty-two years of blocked fish passage cannot be repaired overnight. Kang will talk about the historic distribution of salmon runs in the upper Columbia River. There will be an overview of our current research studies, and the vital contributions that US Tribes are making to salmon reintroduction.

Salmon is on the menu. Those with the Columbia River Salmon Reintroduction Initiative (CRSRI) know that a good meal tastes better when it is eaten as a community. CRSRI invites those in attendance to break out their best salmon recipe or take an online suggestion before Tuesday night’s virtual salmon feast. “Those in attendance will have the opportunity to learn how to cook different dishes with salmon,’’ says Thomas.

Throughout this entire festival there will be cultural presentations and leadership discussions and what the restoration of salmon will look like going forward. Following the special meal there will be an engaging cultural program of stories, poetry, and music shared by Secwépemc, (Shuswap) Syilx Okanagan and Ktunaxa (Akisqnuk) Nation artists. 

The second day will continue in fine fashion with more intriguing workshops pertaining to salmon, their importance and bringing them back home to the upper Columbia. Dammed waters of the Columbia River have drowned out many sacred Indigenous fishing sites. Even though it has been years since salmon have been to these sites many First Nations still gather along the banks of the river every year to honour the spirit of the salmon and to call them home.

Salmon are central and sacred to Syilx, Secwépemc (Shuswap), Ktunaxa (Akisqnuk) First Nations and are a vital part of their well-being, culture, spirituality, sustenance, and livelihood. In this session hosted by Troy Hunter, Indigenous scholars and knowledge keepers discuss the responsibilities and expectations of visitors and respectful ways of upholding cross-Nation relations.

Knowledge is power and by the end of the festival you may just feel almighty as the workshops on salmon and the relationships Indigenous Peoples have with them continue. Pauline Terbasket will host the second workshop of the day where she will highlight the importance of reconnecting with Indigenous practices, technologies, and value systems in both the preparation and harvesting of salmon.

It will be two days full of information as visions and commitments are discussed on how to best bring salmon back to the Columbia River. Rosalie Yazzie will lead the closing-time to reflect on what won’t be a quick fix. 

Nation leaders, youth, elders, and knowledge keepers will offer hope and guidance going forward on this journey to bring the salmon home. “We are doing all we can to bring back our Indigenous traditions, including Indigenous laws and ceremonies that relate to the salmon,” says Thomas. “Everything we do will help to light the flame and pass the torch onto the next generations. This involves more than just technical studies, it is related to Indigenous culture, ceremony and traditional knowledge.”

This festival is open to everyone and all are encouraged to take part in this free event with one main take away.

“Our hope is for people to understand that salmon are the missing piece in the river right now, and they want to come home,” says Thomas. “They’re bonking their heads on dams, wanting to return, they haven’t lost that ability to hone in on where they belong. Us as Indigenous people have a covenant with the creator that we have to work tirelessly to get them back.” 

To register, visit ColumbiaRiverSalmon.ca.