"Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut does not belong to any company. She belongs to her family, she belongs to the Salish Sea, she belongs to herself. It is our Xa xalh Xechnging (sacred obligation) to bring her home. Her spirit is strong, as is ours."
Click to watch a video of highlights of the NW Tribes' Salmon & Orca Summit on July 6-7, 2021, put together by the Nez Perce Tribe (Nimiipuu).
On August 25, the Tacoma City Council IPS Committee is holding a meeting for government-to-government feedback from the Puyallup Tribe on the non-interim regulations process. In the lead up to the meeting, Earth Ministry/WAIPL is asking people of faith to send a message to the IPS Committee asking them to listen to the Puyallup Tribe and incorporate their requests. Photo credit: Tender Young Pony of Insomnia
While we know that any response to the horrible news of unmarked mass graves at Residential Schools in Canada is inadequate, we also know that our lament must lead to action. We recognize that, though these atrocities are making headlines and receiving the attention of the world now, tribal communities have been testifying for years to the truth of forced removal, assimilation, abuse, and death perpetrated through boarding schools.
On August 8, 2021, the 51th anniversary of the forcible taking of Salish Sea orca relations from Penn Cove, Washington, ATNI President Leonard Forsman, Tsleil-Waututh Nation Councillor Charlene Aleck, and other guests joined Lummi matriarchs at the “Netse Mot for Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut” virtual event and called for the return of the last surviving stolen orca.
In a historic gathering of more than 15 Indian nations, tribal leaders from around the Northwest called for immediate action to save endangered orcas and the salmon they depend on. The call for salmon and orca recovery was joined by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington, who each stated dam removal on the Lower Snake River, a tributary of the Columbia, must remain on the table and a comprehensive solution quickly reached to save salmon and orcas from extinction.
When green energy projects bloom across Washington, many are on cultural sites important to tribes in the region. The Yakama Nation’s director of natural resources feels torn about the increasing number of windmills and dams in his tribe’s ancestral territories. While Phil Rigdon (Yakama) supports the pursuit of greener energy sources, he has also been part of the tribe’s opposition to these developments when they negatively impact cultural sites. Their concerns are not often heard by developers.
As dusk fell Thursday night 6/17 on the Snake River, members of the Nimiipuu Nez Perce tribe gathered at Lower Granite Dam with stories about why a free flowing river is critically important for tribal sovereignty. Their messages were amplified with an illuminated banner that says “Honor Treaties” and spotlights projecting messages to save wild salmon, respect treaty rights, and remove the 4 dams on the Lower Snake.
Calling on the President of the United States and the 117th Congress to seize the once-in-a-lifetime congressional opportunity to invest in salmon and river restoration in the Pacific Northwest, charting a stronger, better future for the Northwest, and bringing long-ignored tribal justice to our peoples and homelands.
A D’var Torah by Rabbi Josh Weisman for Parshat Bamidbar, originally published on T'ruah: the rabbinic call for human rights' website.
Following statements from Washington’s Governor and U.S Senators expressing opposition to Rep. Mike Simpson’s (R-ID) proposal to honor treaty rights and save several species of salmon and steelhead on the verge of extinction, the Nez Perce Tribe immediately expressed disappointment in the notable absence of tangible solutions, recognition of the unique congressional opportunity before the Northwest, or acknowledgment of the dire situation that Columbia and Snake River salmon and steelhead face.
This week, representatives from 12 different Northwest Tribes spent two days discussing advancing a salmon and energy proposal from Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) that could make an unprecedented infrastructure investment in the Pacific Northwest to save imperiled salmon runs, protect inland agriculture industries, and transform the region’s energy supply for a renewable future.
The Yakama Tribal Council raised the breaching of the four Lower Snake River Dams with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, as documented in this article, originally published in The Columbian.
NW Tribal Leaders from the Yakama and Lummi nations, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation and the Tulalip, Swinomish and Makah tribes under the umbrella of the Northwest Tribal Salmon Alliance wrote and sent a letter to Biden and members of Congress from ID, WA and OR. This article was originally published in the Lewiston Tribune.
Earth Ministry/WAIPL's Program & Outreach Director Jessica Zimmerle spoke at a March 24 Zoom press conference hosted by the Power Past Fracked Gas Coalition and Earthjustice. The Puyallup Tribe of Indians and several environmental organizations have appealed Tacoma LNG's clean air permit and appeal hearings begin Monday, April 12.
