Clodsire

Crossposted from : https://hexbear.net/post/3068508

Its really funny how many international chuds act like they are US born

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Series: Broken Promises: Salmon Disappear From the Pacific Northwest Before building dams on the Columbia River, the U.S. guaranteed the tribes of the Pacific Northwest salmon forever. But the system it created to prevent the extinction of salmon has failed, and a way of life is ending.

Salmon heads, fins and tails filled baking trays in the kitchen where Lottie Sam prepped for her tribe’s spring feast.

The sacred ceremony, held each year on the Yakama reservation in south-central Washington, honors the first returning salmon and the first gathered roots and berries of the new year.

“The only thing we don’t eat is the bones and the teeth, but everything else is sucked clean,” Sam said, laughing.

Her mother and grandmother taught her that salmon is a gift from the creator, a source of strength and medicine that is first among all foods on the table. They don’t waste it.

“The skin, the brain, the head, the jaw, everything of the salmon,” she said. “Everybody’s gonna have the opportunity to consume that, even if it’s the eyeball.”

Sam is a member of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. They are among several tribes with a deep connection to salmon in the Columbia River Basin, a region that drains parts of the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, southward through seven U.S. states into the West’s largest river.

It’s also a region contaminated by more than a century of industrial and agricultural pollution, leaving Sam and others to weigh unknown health risks against sacred practices.

“We just know that if we overconsume a certain amount of it that it might have possible risks,” Sam said as she gutted salmon in the bustling kitchen. “It’s our food. We don’t see it any other way.”

But while tribes have pushed the government to pay closer attention to contamination, that hasn’t happened. Regulators have done so little testing for toxic chemicals in fish that even public health and environmental agencies admit they don’t have enough information to prioritize cleanup efforts or to fully inform the public about human health risks.

So Oregon Public Broadcasting and ProPublica did our own testing, and we found what public health agencies have not: Native tribes in the Columbia River Basin face a disproportionate risk of toxic exposure through their most important food.

OPB and ProPublica purchased 50 salmon from Native fishermen along the Columbia River and paid to have them tested at a certified lab for 13 metals and two classes of chemicals known to be present in the Columbia. We then showed the results to two state health departments, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials and tribal fisheries scientists.

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Every day, we see dramatic examples of how climate change is affecting the world around us. This trend is threatening to the livelihoods and economies of Indigenous Peoples everywhere. As we are deeply connected to our land and sea, we are among the first to feel the actual effects of climate change.

One of the greatest repercussions of climate change is the significant impact on the availability and quality of crops that are traditionally grown, as well as those that are cultivated for subsistence. In several regions, global warming has been associated with an increased level of disease and mercury in shellfish due to the rise of sea surface temperatures. This poses a threat to our families above and beneath the waves.

Beyond sheer physical damage, climate change also impacts our culture. It leads to direct material losses, displacement of tribes, as well as loss of territory, cultural heritage, mobility, local knowledge, and language elements. With the rise of sea levels and storm erosion, coastal tribes also experience concern for cultural resources. This affects Indigenous people more than any other group, and we are doing something about it.

As a direct result of this significant impact, Tribes like Samish now take on a pivotal role in climate change mitigation and adaptation, demonstrating a proactive approach towards safeguarding their communities and natural heritage. The Samish Indian Nation's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) began to combat climate change in 2016 with the creation of our Climate Adaptation Program, created to better understand Samish citizens' concerns about climate change impacts and develop mitigation strategies to address them.

This work has included conducting several studies, one of which is a regional GIS-based (geographic information system) survey of habitats that support Samish First Food, First Medicine and Cultural Use plants. The survey focuses on working with landowners to be aware of these species and advocate for proper land management to create climate refugia, thus allowing these species of cultural significance to persist for future generations. Our DNR is also active in kelp forest monitoring and restoration efforts in Samish Traditional Territory throughout the San Juan Archipelago. Samish DNR employs a dive team to monitor temperature and ocean acidification in these critical keystone habitats and are working to restore areas where kelp has disappeared.

Furthermore, Samish DNR is very active within Skagit County, partnering with a variety of entities to replant riparian zones for stream cooling, salmon habitat and carbon sequestration. Samish also has lands enrolled in the Skagit Valley Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and is dedicated to riparian planting and healthy streams on their own property.

A comprehensive survey of all the beaches in Samish Traditional Territory is underway to better understand the risks posed by sea level rise and storm erosion to cultural resources of concern. This information will be used to identify potential restoration areas with soft shore and living shoreline techniques, identify areas where Tribal Archaeology staff need to monitor or take action, and develop a comprehensive plan to protect those cultural resources at risk.

We are not the only Tribe in the country doing this work. Tribes across the United States are contributing impactfully to keep culture alive while preserving land for future generations. Through collective action and shared knowledge, we are fostering a legacy of environmental stewardship, ensuring that our land continues to thrive.

Given the tribe's unique history, we have come to realize that we cannot do this alone, and we all must work together in sharing the responsibility and, at the same time, doing our own part to make a difference for all our generations to come.

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