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WARM SPRINGS, OREGON
June 1,2000 3
Ceremonial Fisherman Harvest Spring Chinook & Revive Debate Over Snouts
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Wilbur Johnson, Sr. loads the days harvest onto the tribal boat.
By Lenora Starr
The number of spring salmon run
ning up the Columbia River is the
highest it has been in more than 2 12
decades and with that the Ceremonial
Fisherman of the Warm Springs,
Yakama, NezPerce and UmaullaTribes
were able to harvest an additional 750
salmon for their people.
Bruce Jim, Virgil Culps, Randy
Smith and Wilbur Johnson, Sr. have
more than a century of fishing experi
ence between them. They share their
frustrations of this springs harvest.
"We risk our lives to get this fish for
our people and we're glad to go down
to get the fish. We always pray and we
always sing and we give offerings to
the river. This is the way we were
shown by our elders," said Bruce Jim.
Earlier this season a boat sank with
a crew of fisherman and a natural re
sources biologist. Although there were
no fatalities, the river could have taken
any of them. "One little mistake could
cost your life. It could get real danger
ous. Something like a button or a watch
could get caught or sometimes the
waves could getreally high," says Virgil
Culps.
Following the boating accident the
natural resources department had a boat
"shadowing" the ceremonial fisherman .
Bruce Jim, "Living in Celilo and
Tenino, fishing and hunting has been
my life. I grew up a fisherman. I grew
up a hunter. We traveled all over the
place, hunting and gathering."
Bruce started ceremonial fishing
almost 30 years ago. During that time
he witnessed many changes. He recalls
one of the changes is the snouts being
cut off of the salmon. He explains that
the taking of the snouts wasn't done in
the past. But when the biologists came
along and wanted to conduct research,
it was the tribal membersfisherman
who took the scale samples. "We took
the snouts off and this was supposed to
only be done for two years. After that
time the taking of the snouts were to
end." Bruce states the fish and wildlife
committee members were in agree
ment not to take any more snouts.
"These fish are used for ceremonial
purposes and we do not want to deface
Warm Springs
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Hatchery Manager Mike Paiya, displays one of many native salmon that
were processed during this year's salmon run. -
the salmon in any way. There's no
longer any more data that they (biolo
gists) can collect any more than they
can get from the hatchery."
The ceremonial fisherman and the
natural resources biologist became in
volved in a heated debate over the
cutting of the snouts during the recent
spring harvest. The intensity of the
debate drew attention from the On
; Reservation Fish and Wildlife Com
mittee and the Chairman of the the
, Tribal Council. According to the fish-'1
erman, the end result was the Chair
man of the On Reservation Committee
was suspended from his job and the
responsibilties of the committee was
transferred to the Off Reservation Fish
and Wildlife Committee. Stanley "Bear
Tracks" Simtustus, Chairman of the
On Reservation Fish and Wildlife Com
mittee maintains that he didn't do any
this wrong and that the committee is
there to work for the peoples interests
and not for the interests of others.
It's this debate over cutting off the
snouts that made it difficult for the
fisherman to maintain their compo
' sure. Bruce Jim explains, "That white
man (biologist working for the natural
resources) made us really mad; telling
us he was the Confederated Tribes and
saying things that aren't appropriate.
We really had to clear ourselves and
push all those bad thoughts and feel
ings out of the mind because we are
fishing for the people. All the stuff that
you do begins in the home. When you
go out and you handle these fish, you
do it in a good way. You're not to get
mad. Not angry or anything else. When
you handle this food, that's what you
pass down to the people at these
longhouses, you give them 'clean food'
because you weren't mad and there
were prayers that were said. That white
man really made us mad. We had to
clear ourselves and push all those bad
thoughts back.
A representative from the Natural
Resources Department who was at the
river with the fisherman was contacted
for an interview but was unavailable
forcomment. However resolution 623 1
is printed here in it's entirity.
WHEREAS, The Confeder
ated Tribes of the Warm Springs Res-
Fish Hatchery Spring Chinook Salmon 2000 run, breaks new record
1 ... . . . 1 rn 1 1 . J .A f.,n11i TVnofc fieri orfs nlor c
ervalion of Oregon reserved the right
in the Treaty with the Tribes of the
Middle Oregon of 1855 to fish for
ceremonial, subsistance and commer
cial purposes in the waters of the Co
lumbia River and at all other usual and
accustomed places beyond the bound
aries of the Warm Springs Reserva
tion; and
WHEREAS, The Tribal
Council regards the right to fish for
ceremonial and religious purposes to
among the most sacred of its Treaty
rights, and
WHEREAS, it is the desire
of the Tribal Coundil to exercise full
regulatory control over the ceremonial
fisheries so as to protect the religious
purpose of the fisheries and to insure
conservation of fishery resource; now,
BE IT RESOLVED, by the
Tribal Council of the Confederated
Tribes of the Warm Springs Reserva
tion of Oregon that the following tribal
ceremonial fishery procedures are
hereby adopted; and
BE IT FURTHERE RE
SOLVED, that the following tribal
ceremonial fishery procedures shall
be codified in the appropriate chapter
of the Warm Springs Tribal Code, and
all prior resolutions governing cer
emonial fishing procedures are hereby
rescinded:
Ceremonial Fishery Procedures
1. Fishery Plan
1.1 Prior to each ceremonial fish-'
:ry Natural Resources Department
;hall prepare and present to the Tribal
Council for approval or modification a
ishery plan.
1 .2 The ceremonial fishery plan
hall include the following elements:
(a) The harvst goal for each
.salmonid species. The harvest goal
shall be based on a determination of
tribal needs with due consideration
given to the conservation requirements
of the salmonid species contributing to
the ceremonial fishery. Tribal needs
shall be determined through consulta
tion with tribal elders and religious
leaders.
(b) The dates of the ceremo
nial fishery. The dates of the fishery
will be determined with due consider-;
ation given to the conservation re
quirements of the salmonid species
contributing to the fishery. ,
(c) The minimum qualifica
tions for head fisherman and helper.
;' 1.3 No ceremonial fishing shall, (
take place until approval of the fishery ,
plan by the Tribal, Council. , , . ,.
1 .4 All ceremonial fishing shall
be conducted in strict accordance with
the fishery plan approved by the Tribal
Council.
2. Fishing Crew
All ceremonial fishing shall
be conducted by a single crew of four
persons. The crew shall consist of a
member of the Natural Resources De
partment staff,,a member of the tribal
fish and game law enforcement staff,
and a head fisherman and helper se
lected by the Fish Committee in accor
dance with the procedures out herein.
(a) Prior to each ceremonial
fishery , Natural Resource Department
shall solicit applications for a head
fisherman and helper and shall publish
notice of the minimum qualifications.
(b) In addition, Natural Re
sources Department shall compile a
list of individuals nominated by Tribal
elders and religious leaders for head
fisherman and helper.
(c) Natural Resources De
partment shall submit a list of all appli
cants satisfying the minimum qualifi
cations and all individuals nominated
by Tribal Elders and religious leaders
to the Fish and Wildlife Committee.
(d) TheFish& Wildlifecom
mittee shall select a head fisherman
and helper.
3, Notice
3. 1 Natural Resourcdes Depart
ment shall submit appropriate notifi
cation to state and federal agencies a
minimum of seven days prior to the
start of the fishery.
The Spring Chinook Salmon
2000 run at the Warm Springs
Fish Hatchery has been the best
year yet with hundreds of incom
ing salmon on a daily basis. This
is the first large return run of
upriver spring chinook for years.
According to Mavis Shaw, As
sistant Manager at the Warm
Springs Fish Hatchery, 70 of
the run is already in.
'This is record breaking news.
As of May 30, 2000, a total of
1,667 wild and 4,003 hatchery
salmon have returned bringing
the total to 5,670 salmon," says
Mavis. The difference between
the wild and hatchery salmon is,
wild salmon have been uniquely
shaped by natural forces to sur
vive and reproduce in their home
stream. Hatcheries do not present
the same rigors as stream life,
and thus, can produce fish that
3.2 The tribal notice shall con
tain a statement of the dates of the
fishery, the fishing sites used, the har
vest goal for each salmonid species,
and the indentity of the fishing crew.
4. Fishery
4.1 The fishery shall be con
ducted in strict accordance with the
fishery plan approved by the Tribal
Council.
4.2 The fishery shall utilize fish
ing sites registered to the head fisher
man or helper, and any other fishing
sites registered to Warm SpringsTribal
members.
4.3 All nets shall be clearly
marked as Warm Springs tribal cer
emonial fishing nets.
4.4 During the cow se of the fish
ery.NaturalResourcsDepartmentshall be responsible for preserving and stor
ing the catch at a site near the fishery.
5. Post Fishery
5.1 At the conclusion of the fish
ery, Natural Resources Department
shall be responsible for safe transpor
tation of the ceremonial catch from the
fishery storage site to the tribal lock
ers. 5.2 Natural Resources Depart
ment shall submit relevant harvest data
to state and federal agencies and shall
maintain all appropriate records re
quired for tribal fishery management.
6. Violation
6.1 It shall be unlawful for any
person to engage in ceremonial fishing
except in accordance with the proce
dures set out herein.
6.2 It shall be unlawful for any
member of the ceremonial fishing crew,
or any other person, to sell, barter, give
away or keep, fish taken for ceremo
nial purposes.
6.3 Unlawful activity in connec
tion with the tribal ceremonial fishery
shall be punishable in accordance with
thepenaltiessetoutinWSCT340.700.
Certification
The undersigned, as Secretary
Treasurer of the Confederated Tribes
of the Warm Springs Reservation of
Oregon; hereby certifies that the Tribal
Council is composed of 1 1 members,
of whom 8 constituting aquorum were
present at the meeting thereof, duly
and regularly called, noticed, convened
and held this 8th day of June, 1982;
and that the foregoing resolution was
passed by the affirmative vote of 7
members, the Chairman not voting;
and that the said resolution had not
been recinded or amended in any way.
RalphMinnick, Secretary-Treasuer
Merritt E. Youndeer, Superinten
dent Randy Smith, a fishing crew mem
ber, "you look at this resolution 6231
everything that is noted in this resolu
tion is enacted by Tribal Council ac
tion and not any one individual. The
majority of the Tribal Council had to
be in agreement and not any one indi
vidual can change this resolution.
That's the way I understand it."
Bruce Jim explains that it isn't just
a matter of keeping the fish "whole"
but it's our it's our rights. Speaking
passionately Bruce says, "We are pro
tecting that little right that we have
from our fishing. Once they start in
fringing on that right, than they will
continue to take more and more like
they are doing because nobody wants
to say anything and it's making them
stronger. Enough is enough! We are
losing a lot of things. Even our hunt
ing! All in the name of protection of
the resources. A deer lives where he
can live. Just because there isn't a deer
in that one square mile, it doesn' t mean
that there's supposed to be one there.
Everything was fine until they came
here."
Wilbur Johnson, Sr. recalls a time
are not as genetically and behav
iorally suited to life in the stream
over generations.
"The run is expected to con
tinue through mid-June or early
August. According to Warm
Springs Fish Hatchery old
records, the best years were in
1990 1,867 salmon were pro
cessed while in 1989, 2,528 were
processed bringing the total to 3,
947," said Mavis.
"Salmon are still coming in,"
said Hatching Manager Mike
Paiya. "There for awhile about
300 to 400 salmon were coming
in daily with bigger numbers
waiting after the weekend," said
Mike.
According to Randy Boise
Fish Hatchery employee, many
of the salmon are being stored in
the hatchery freezer for future
tribal ceremonial use, while a
when the salmon were so plentiful that
he and his family could go to Beaver
Creek on horse back and hook and line
or gaff them out. He also remembers
the big meetings (hat took place in
Celilo about the building of the Dalles
Dam. He saw the surveyors at the site
and recalls his grandpa saying, 'What
are we coming down here for? They
are already surveying like they already
beat us' "Sure enough, we went out
there for nothing. They already de
cided they were going to tuke Celilo
away from us." . ,
"We can't make our own biologists
understand that it's the things that we
do that make a good return of the
salmon, a good healthy salmon," said '
Wilbur. He continues, "We try to ex
plain to them that they have done
enough handling of the fish. They have
done enough damage to them, they
take the snouts. When we pray for the
salmon, we pray for the whole salmon.
And when they take the snout they are
taking the part of the salmon that is the
main part of the salmon that guides
them back. There's a lot of things that
old people say about the brain of the
salmon. He (the salmon)can tell where
his own water is and knows which one ,
to go back to. When he leaves the
ocean he challenges many different
streams and he always knows which
one to go back to. We never harvest
until we are finished giving thanks and
the creator recoginizes that and takes
care of us."
Wilbur credits much of the
knowlege he's gained to his grandfa
ther and from listcningtotheoldpeoplc.
He learned that there is a riht time to
gather tools and foods and offers this
story as an example of knowing how to
recognize as asighn of when the salmon
are coming, "Swallow, she come up
the river too early. She had her babies.
She waited to fish the salmon. Day
after day she would go to fish the
salmon. Everyday there was no salmon.
Everyday she was getting hungrier
and everyday here babies were hun
gry. She had nothing to give them.
Finally she got so hungry when she
went back to her babies and she ate
them to survive. The next day the
salmon came. Just one more day she
had to wait. So in her way to show that
she was guilty and wanted forgive
ness, she told everybody, 'Next time
when the salmon come, I will come up
aday ahead of the salmon and they will
be behind me. When you see me fly ing
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Oliver Kirk, Natural Resources Enforcement packs fish to be stored for
ceremonial purposes after being weighed and measured.
total of 3,658 have been donated
to Warm Springs Tribal commu
nity members.
In the wild, Pacific salmon
return to their streams of origin to
spawn at the end of their natural
life cycles, and die afterwards.
Returning hatchery salmon are
also at the end of their natural life
cycles. They are killed to allow
the removal of eggs and semen,
which are combined to produce
fertile eggs. This is called artifi
cial spawning. Each hatchery has
a quota, determined by a man
agement plan, for the number of
salmon needed for artificial
spawning.
When more salmon return to
the hatchery than are needed for
artificial spawning, they are sur
plus and may be killed if they
cannot be returned to rivers and
streams for harvast or to spawn
around, you know the next day the
salmon are coming.' That's what she
done to say that what she was sorry for
eating her babies. Wilbur:" You know
that it's true when you see the swal
lows diving around the river that the
salmon are coming the next day.
Wilbur wanted to share this mes
sage, "One thing I'd like to share is
about what education is doing to us
and tribes all around the world and all
people. This part I'm talking about is
in the Bible. It's coming to one gov
ernment. Even the money is going to
change; we have a new 100 dollar bill.
A new 20 Dollar bill and even a new
silvcrdollar. Banks willgobroke pretty
soon. More and more earth quakes,
hail storms, and fires. One third of our
trees are going to burn. Look at the
fires we've had. Our trees are burned.
We are working toward on world gov
ernment and you could see that. Our
cops are able to go to Madras and the
Dalles and their cops come here. The
state cops, they're allowed to come
here. States and Canada's agreements.
And the laws are becoming more. And
people will become frustrated. Now
you see the laws are becoming more.
And people will become frustrated.
Now you see the Tribal Council trav
eling everywhere. They're forgetting
what the old people was teaching them.
The guys getting educated. The world
is doming to an end and the prophies
from the Bible are being fulfilled. The
white man is coming in and doine this
research. We're trying to get the coun
cil.' to realize that we have all these
fisherman with experience about the
salmon. We don't need the biologist to
tell us anything aout the salmon be
cause we already know this from our
old people. You're letting the educa
tion go over" the experience. And you
let them study 'cause they're college
people and you're letting the experi
ence go to waste."
the fisherman finished their cer
emonial harvest and the fish are stored
away for ceremonial use. Some of the
salmon are laying in the freezers with
the snouts removed. The snouts are
removed from the hatchery fish be
cause there is identifying data place in
the snouts by the hatcheries. It is this
data that the biologists are after.
There fisherman will continue to
talk to the council about the fishery
procedures. We will know how that
turns out when it comes time for the
fall harvest.
naturally. These fish are also at
the end of their natural lire cycles
arid are used as a food resource,
or to provide nutrients to streams
from the decaying salmon bod
ies to enhance aquatic life.
When the return salmon are
processed, usually, the fish are
struck once over the head with a
club, similar to a baseball bat,
which, when done properly, is a
quick and humane way to kill
them.
The Warm Springs Fish Hatch
ery would like to thank the Fire
Management employees who
assisted them as well as the Warm
Springs Salmon Corps crew. For
more information ox questions
about the Spring Chinnok Salmon
2000 run, please call (541) 553-1692.
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