S moke S ignals
MAY 15, 2016
9
'You have to wonder did you just walk
in the footprints of your ancestors?'
SALMON continued
from front page
finished their line, Tribal Elder
Greg Archuleta invited the men
and young boys to do the same. As
many as 50 people attended the
ceremony.
Mercier said to those gathered
that a longstanding agreement
exists between Tribal peoples and
salmon.
“What we did was recognize the
laws we have between us and the
salmon,” said Mercier. “The agree-
ment we have between us and the
salmon is that he would forever
feed us as long as we did not forget
to sing to him and to honor him.
By each one of us tapping that
ish with those clubs it is each one
of us saying to that ish that we
remember that. We won’t forget
that. We won’t forget that law we
have between each other.”
Mercier said when the singing
stops, the salmon will cease re-
turning.
“We’ll remember to sing for you,”
said Mercier. “We’ll remember to
take the first fish and feed the
people. We make sure that we do
that and that is what we are doing
here.”
Mercier was joined by as many
as 20 drummers and singers for a
song to honor the deal struck eons
ago with the irst salmon.
Jade Unger and Marvin Archule-
ta filleted the fish on a white
folding table to feed the people in
attendance.
Tribal Historic Preservation
Office Manager David Harrel-
son tended the fire and Mercier
wrapped the bones, tails and heads
in foil and placed them in the coals.
Greg Archuleta placed the irst
staked-out salmon illet just before
2 p.m. and those gathered began to
eat a potluck-style dinner shortly
after 3 p.m.
“I think it’s a very good thing
that we renewed this ceremony
after 130 years,” said Tribal Coun-
cil Chairman Reyn Leno. He was
joined by fellow Tribal Council
members Vice Chair Jack Giffen
Jr., Secretary Cheryle A. Kennedy,
Denise Harvey and Jon A. George
Tribal Elder Michael Mercier taps the irst salmon on the head with a stone
club as Tribal Elder Greg Archuleta looks on during the Tribe’s fourth annual
First Salmon Ceremony held at the McLean House in West Linn on Friday,
May 6. Each person in attendance — women used a yew wood club — took
a turn to show that they remember the obligations to the salmon and the
traditional laws that guarantee the return of the salmon in Oregon’s rivers.
at the gathering in West Linn.
Leno said the ceremony had
added meaning this year after re-
gaining the right from the Oregon
Fish and Wildlife Commission to
take ish in a traditional way at
Willamette Falls for ceremonial
purposes.
“This year is really special be-
cause we just received some of
our fishing rights back on the
Willamette Falls,” said Leno. “Jack
(Giffen Jr.) said they went up and
got ish right where our platform
is going to be. So, when you tie the
two together it’s a pretty unique
ceremony. It means a lot. You
gather to honor the ish.
“You go to do these ceremonies
and you feel like you’ve accom-
plished something and you’re
Drumming and singing was part of the Tribe’s fourth annual First Salmon
Ceremony held at the McLean House in West Linn on Friday, May 6.
Photos by
Michelle Alaimo
Tribal Cultural Outreach Coordinator Bobby
Mercier, right, hands the irst salmon to
Andrew Freeman, middle, and Tribal Elder Greg
Archuleta after it was harvested at Willamette
Falls on Friday, May 6.
going back in time. You have to
wonder did you just walk in the
footprints of your ancestors? Did
they do the same thing?”
Harvey said the spot for this
year’s ceremony was beautiful and
that it made her imagine a time
when it would have been even
more beautiful.
“You think back to the day when
that (the bridge, the cars, the
sound of civilization) wasn’t there,”
said Harvey. “For me, that’s one of
the things I enjoy about attending
these events and participating in
them is because I really value and
appreciate that we are practicing
some of our traditional values in
our traditional ceremonies. I real-
ly like being a part of it. It’s very
meaningful to me.”
Harvey said the renewal of the
First Salmon Ceremony shows the
Tribe can be uniied and aware of
traditional values.
“I’m proud of the people who are
moving this forward and that we
have people working for us that are
passionate about it,” said Harvey.
“I think it’s really important and I
think it is good for our people to be
a part of that and practicing that.
It was really good energy. I like
that we have people that want to
bring those traditions back. I think
that strengthens our Tribe and it
shows respect to our Elders and
our ancestors that were here before
us that we are trying to bring back
and carry on those traditions.”
Mercier said the ceremony is
about understanding and remem-
bering to give back.
“It’s important that we do it and
that’s what we’re told,” said Mer-
cier. “Don’t just take.”
It seemed itting that as Unger
and Mercier washed down the
table on which the salmon had
just been illeted, the blood of this
year’s first fish was returned to
the Earth.