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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (April 12, 2013)
street roots 10 April 12, 2013 The NAYA Native American Literature class has been studying the history of Celilo Falls, shown at right, and the impact of the building of the dam on Native communities. Students wrote two-voice poems, capturing two perspectives on the building of the dam and the loss of the falls. The voices are distinguished between straight text and italics. Dam and Culture By Maria Olsen I have been passed down from generation to generation I am a woman, a m other and a wife I am a woman, a mother and a wife I am a spiritual place, for I bring food and tradition to my people I love my family of five I love my tribe o f five hundred I have been built To stop this parade I’m dressing for a family day out I ’m dressing for a long day at work The pain my people suffer, I suffer High heels, flower print dress and a blazer Moccasins and an E lk skin dress I destroyed the homes of many Why is there still hope? I keep my hair short and brush Products through it I keep m y h a ir long, b raided dow n m y back with only bear grease By Tosha Jones I am at peace with nature There are no jobs on my land My w ater falls so peacefully See my stream s flow down I am a bear who looks for food often I am a fish who tries to stay out of harm ’s way I try to show my cubs how to get th eir food I swim all day to get to the waters where I lay my offspring I claw at the cold, harsh w aters I try to get away in the cold, harsh waters I go to a place of power I go to a place o f power Celilo Falls Celilo Falls I am not th at im portant to the w aters I am important to the waters I tell the children to go to the car I tell the children to go and get the fishing nets and spears It’s a long drive to the site of the new dam I t’s a short walk to the beautiful falls I fall into the cold river as I bite at the water People come from all over to get me because I am a way o f life T he coming of the dam made it harder to get fish The coming of the dams made it harder for me to spawn T here are so many people here, Crowded, waiting There are more people here than usual, So many white people Pay us the price we need to provide For our families and their families We hear the machines fire up, it’s time! What is that sound? Why are people getting closer? The fish th at flow within me Go less and less from me The children scream with excitem ent There are tears in my childrens eyes Save me! Save me! Bring to me our share o f pay I take their hands And we watch as this magnificent dam goes up I take their hands A nd try to explain why we can’t fish today The waterfall was swallowed by water. By Rae Roulac By Destiny Robideau I come to stay, not leave Falls and Profit Bear and Fish I Am I was sad as my cubs w ent hungry We all started to die; we couldn’t spawn We were saved We were saved I had food I was able to spawn I am a bear I am a fish We w atched the whole day We left as quickly as we arrived At the Water’s End Celilo By Nene Johnson By Damien Stankewitsch I energize the people I provide energy for the people I swim and eat daily I sit and eat fish gravy I penetrate the ecosystem naturally While I imagine the world dividing My home is in a spiritual place B uilt upon walls tearing down river’s destiny Dam life is not perm anent Automatic life is crucial The creator made the falls He wants them back. Why does he w ant them? To bring peace to our tribes. Why the rivers, the dams and the falls? Because they give power and hope to our culture. Why is it a spiritual place? It s a place of majestic power, a place we grew up and grew to love. How will the legend live on? Where we stand is where we were made to make a legend. Sedim ent and litter clutter up my eyes A building meant to stop, block and divert the water to my sides What about your home the dam flooded? We have our tribes. We rebuild them and love our culture Even though it takes time, our people love the falls and the river. Everything tries to stop me, but I survive I erode away until humans decide I ’m more valuable than to just die. The creator made the falls; he w ants them back So we will do everything we can to bring them back.
