Confederated Umatilla Journal

The monthly newspaper of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla ~ Pendleton,

March 2008 Volume XI, Issue 3 Children learn sign language, Page 26.

Basin Putting water FIRST study FOODS Salmon is cooked traditionally in this undated photo at Celilo Village. First on tap By the CUJ ISSION – The seemingly simple act of setting Governor signs funding bill to the traditional Longhouse table is now guid- investigate potential fixes for Ming the way natural resources are protected, restored and managed on the Umatilla Indian Reserva- area’s declining groundwater tion. By the CUJ The Confederated Tribes’ Department of Natural Re- sources, which has more than 100 employees, adopted the HERMISTON – Oregon Gov. Ted Ku- First Foods mission a year ago. It was the brainchild of longoski joined Umatilla Basin residents DNR Director Eric Quaempts, who identified First Foods March 5 to sign the Agriculture and links so that the Department’s efforts could be better con- Community Water Act of 2008, which nected to the Tribal community’s cultural values. addresses water shortages across Or- Quaempts describes First Foods as a “powerful and el- egon, particularly in the Umatilla Basin egant system” that incorporates the Tribe’s Creation belief, where a huge critical groundwater area promotes cultural continuity, is a reminder of the rights affects dozens of farms. negotiated by treaty signers 150 years ago, and groups Kulongoski called passage of the bill ecologically related resources – water, aquatic species, big a “shining example of diverse interests game, roots and fruit. coming together to find common ground Further, Quaempts said, “First Foods is an aboriginal and committing to finding a solution that system that actually incorporates people into ecology.” benefits all of us.” As a management theme, the First Foods approach uses The Act, which passed unanimously the order of foods served in a tribal meal to bring attention in the Senate and the House as Senate Bill to species and ecological processes that are often unrecog- 1069, provides a comprehensive plan for nized or devalued outside of the Tribal community. It also water shortages in Oregon. The first piece provides a culturally appropriate means to report resto- establishes a matching grants program ration progress to the Tribal community, and it provides In this undated photo, a girl in a wing dress picks huckleberries near her for Oregon communities to fund feasibil- direct links to the Treaty of 1855. family’s camp at Mount Adams. ity studies for water conservation, reuse Most importantly perhaps, the First Foods concept sup- ports the continuity of the Tribes’ unique culture. nificance of First Foods. and storage projects. The second piece of “I remember when Butch said to Louie (her husband) the legislation specifically addresses the Historically, DNR efforts have been focused nearly ex- clusively on water and fish, but the Department intends to in the late 1980s, ‘You’re always talking about the men’s decades-long crisis in declining ground- foods. Who’s going to take care of the women’s foods?’ water in the Umatilla Basin. ACWA will “extend the table” and address the remaining foods. Water is central to the concept of First Foods, which also fund a feasibility study for the regional es Minthorn, longtime tribal leader, said First project, which would direct water from include the men’s foods: salmon and other fish, deer with other big game; and the women’s foods: cous and other Foods offers a “plain” explanation in a time when the Columbia and Umatilla rivers during rapidly changing science and technology “make winter months into the Umatilla Basin to roots, and berries. L it difficult for anyone, let alone our tribal membership to recharge and inject depleted aquifers. Quaempts noted support for the First Foods approach from the CTUIR Board of Trustees and Executive Direc- make sense of or whom to believe because it happens so Kulongoski said ACWA is the “first fast.” step” in addressing a “legacy of exces- tor Don Sampson, but he said it’s been people like Marie sive demands on limited resources” that “Butch” Dick who have emphasized the day-to-day sig- See FIRST FOODS, Page 22

See Groundwater, Page 3

Confederated Tribes of the Presorted Standard Nixyaawii freshman Umatilla Indian Reservation U.S. Postage sharp-shooter Kristi PO Box 638 PAID Miller, who gained Pendleton, OR 97801 Pendleton, OR notoriety for her Permit #100 three-point shooting during the season and at the Class 1A State Tournament, looks to pass against a Joseph defender at Baker City Feb. 27. For more on the girls,

Change Service Requested INSIDE turn to Page 38. FIRST FOODS: A new mission for DNR Continued from Page 1 abundance and survival,” said Les Minthorn. “These ancestors practiced and taught this since time before Minthorn has offered similar words at Tribal celebra- memory. By securing these gathering rights our exis- tions, including the Celery Feast in the Longhouse on tence today on our ancestral lands will allow this con- Feb. 24. cept to live. That right allows us to continue to gather, “My approach as a tribal leader is to connect all of fish, dig roots, harvest berries, hunt, and to pasture our what I see, hear and believe, to our past … In accor- horses.” dance with the teachings of our original teachers, our ancestors, everything we do should relate back to this he First Foods approach is so logical it almost most important and basic cultural tradition of gathering seems too simple. and sharing the first foods.” “First Foods is not a menu,” Quaempts said. Quaempts said the approach of using the order of foods T “In Creation stories and belief, it’s the order in which served in the Longhouse to guide DNR work is unique the foods promised to take care of Indian people. When and sets the next chapter in the Department’s mission. the Creator asked, ‘Who will take care of the people? “Having reviewed the approach with a variety of au- Salmon said ‘I will’ and the other fish lined up behind diences, including international science panels, other him, then the deer made a promise, and so on. Ecol- tribes, federal and state agencies, I fiend the approach ogy always requires some reciprocity. In the case of the makes the indivisble nature of the tribes’ cultural and First Foods, that reciprocity is manifest in respect for natural resource values clear to people outside the com- the ‘Creator’s law,’ which requires recognition of the munity,” he said. First Foods through respectful celebration, then to go Kat Brigham, a tribal leader who’s fam- out and harvest, take care of, and share the foods after ily fishes in the , said tribal cul- Huckleberries gathered in a woven basket. their respective feasts. In fact, when people serve at tra- ture is at risk without protecting first foods. Photo by Cheryl Shippentower. ditional meals, they are often told: ‘Be careful, you’re “When I started with the Fish and Wildlife Commission carrying a law.’” I knew salmon, but it wasn’t until I joined the Long- participate in a round bustle dance, or a first digging or Water quality problems and endangered species act house in the mid-90s that I began to understand how picking ceremony before a young woman can partici- listings have led the CTUIR and most other natural re- important the first foods were. They are part of our cul- pate with buckskin dress in a round dance. And First source management agencies to focus efforts on water ture and tradition, and it’s our duty to protect those re- Foods are still recognized and respected every Sunday and salmon, but, the rest of the First Foods need atten- sources for the next seven generations,” Brigham said. in the community longhouse. tion, too Quaempts said. “Nobody can go without water or air, neither can we go “The fact the community’s respect and recognition “We don’t want to see cous or huckleberries on the without our first foods.” of the order has endured, and is expressed at so many threatened or endangered list before anyone does some- levels is impressive. The continued recognition of First thing about them. That’s what happened with salmon,” ach of the First Foods has explicit links to the Foods is a testament to the Tribe’s cultural convictions,” Quaempts said. Treaty of 1855, which guaranteed to the Cay- said Quaempts. “We need to be responsive to that con- The First Foods order can’t be fulfilled within the Euse, Umatilla and Walla Walla Indians water viction.” boundaries of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, said rights as well as rights to fish, hunt, gather roots and Quaempts also noted that even as First Food har- Quaempts. berries, and graze livestock. vest and preservation methods have changed – Indians “That’s why I think the treaty signers negotiated for “First Foods predate the treaty by thousands of years changed from dip nets to gill nets when the free-flow- a large ceded land base and maintained the right to and their sustainability and the continued right to ac- ing river, like at , became a series of lakes access and harvest the foods. People today still go on cess them were important goals in treaty negotiations,” behind dams, and root diggers now used welded, steel Forest Service land and clear to Mount Adams for ber- Quaempts said. diggers instead of hand-carved wooden ones – the First ries and they fish all the way to Willamette Falls for eels Still today, the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla Foods order has remained a constant.. Likewise, the (lamprey).” people express cultural values through First Foods, community has had the option of replacing First Foods such as community feasts that celebrate the season’s in the serving order, but has chosen to keep alive the hrough First Foods, natural resource manage- first salmon, first roots and first huckleberries ofthe First Food serving order and therefore the cultural con- ment will consider a variety of other poten- season. Families recognize young people with celebra- tinuum. tial impacts to the landscape, Quaempts ex- tions for a first kill, a first salmon, a first digging and T “Our ancestors believed in the ‘first foods’ and our plained. first picking. Community celebrations have sometimes life cycle revolved around gathering, preparing, and required a first kill ceremony before a young man can sharing them as well as praying to the Creator for their See FIRST FOODS, Page 23

“What is culture? Culture is the law (Tamanwit).” Steve Sohappy, CTUIR member

“We need cold, clear, pure water and salmon.” Louie Dick, CTUIR member

“You’re always talking about the men’s foods. Who is going to take care of the women’s Root diggers photographed in April last year included, front row from left, Lynn Sue Jones, Linda Jones, Lonnie Alexander, Ranita Jones; middle row, Trinette Minthorn, Jan Jones, Alvina Huesties, Enid Miller, Salissa Jim; and back row, Shawna Gavin, Michelle Burke, Janine foods?” Bearchum, Leigh Pinkham, Cyrene Red Elk, Leann Alexander, Kaitlin Treloar, Kathy Fegan, Dee Minthorn and Diane Looney. Marie “Butch” Dick, CTUIR member and wife of Louie Dick

22 Confederated Umatilla Journal March 2008 FIRST Smowhalla FOODS: A brought deeper new mission meaning to ‘First Foods’ for DNR By Antone Minthorn, Chair, CTUIR Board of Trustees Continued from Page 22 n the late 1930’s, I was a small boy living in Fish habitat management for example, will look not Thornhollow valley on the Umatilla Indian only at the instream flow and riparian habitat, but at the IReservation; I remember the women leaving full flood-plain habitat and interactions of surface wa- on horseback very early in the morning. The horses ter and ground water when contemplating temperature carried large leather root bags along with the rider. and flows that sustain salmon. They also took pack horses. The root digging party DNR’s wildlife program has increased its information was headed up Kanine Ridge where roots were gathering efforts on big game populations, is participat- known to be plentiful. The diggers stayed all day ing in multi-agency efforts to understand Eastern Ore- and came back home at night with full root bags to gon’s growing moose population, and is also an active unload and be ready for the next day’s harvest run. partner in regional co-management of big horn sheep. That root was cous, one of the native First Foods. The Tribes have recently taken over range manage- And the work of digging was very hard. ment from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and intends to The First Foods (roots and berries, deer and Inez Spino Reves digs roots and teaches young people how to carry salmon) have always been a way of life for the place a greater emphasis on protection and manage- on the traditional harvest. ment of women’s foods. Impact to roots and berries for Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla people. How- ever, the significance of the First Foods can have example be considered when determining how many “It resonates with a variety of Tribal staff as well as much deeper meaning. livestock are grazed, when, and for how long. state and federal agencies who say they understand bet- The appearance of the traders, missionaries An example of how the First Foods approach can be ter how natural resources and Tribal cultural values are and settlers following the Lewis and Clark Expe- used occurred last year at the Horizon Wind Project at connected,” Quaempts said. dition in 1805 was destructive to Indian country, Telecasah in Union County. When Horizon applied for Jim Waddell, National Training Coordinator for the or Indian land ownership, through such actions a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit, it triggered the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was introduced to First as taking and establishing trading posts and mis- Tribes’ involvement. Ultimately, Horizon hired CTUIR Foods concept during a training at Indian Lake. sions. The settlers were protected by soldiers. The to monitor project construction. When bitterroot – a First “As I listened I realized it was a very good way to ex- power of the white immigrants became so great Food – was found, Horizon agreed in a mitigation plan press the holistic idea of first foods. I think it was a very there seemed to be no hope for the safety and sur- to avoid areas where bitterroot was abundant and to good way of helping non-Indian students walk through vival of the tribes. create a trust fund to be used to protect and restore First the human-natural conection not only as individuals, However, around 1815, a prophet was born Foods. Additionally, Horizon obtained easements from but as decision-makers in the Corps.” at Wallula near the confluence of the Snake and private property owners that will provide access for Waddell said that, since the training in October, the Walla Walla rivers. His name was Smowhalla. The Tribal members to an otherwise land-locked Bureau of Corps has integrated the Tribes’ First Foods concept Smowhalla belief was to respect your person and Land Management parcel. The agreement was the first into the federal agency’s environmental operations people and traditions as Cayuse, Umatilla and of its kind to specifically address women’s foods and to principles. Walla Walla, that is, as native Indian people. This allow the CTUIR to use the trust funds for First Foods Later this month, Waddell said, the First Foods ap- spiritual power provides the strength to withstand management as the Tribe’s see fit. Horizon’s project di- proach will be used as a teaching tool when the Corps assaults of white settlement and gives hope to the versified regional energy sources and provided mitiga- meets with the Seminole Indians. people that there will be the dawn of a new day tion in the Tribes cultural context.” said Quaempts, who “We will use graphics of water, salmon, deer, roots and the Indian people would once again become credited CRPP Program Manager Teara Farrow and her and berries in our next training. We’ll talk about how tough and prosperous. staff for being responsive to the DNR mission and col- the foods relate to our need to take care of the environ- Smowhalla was a Dreamer who created the laborating with the CTUIR’s tax consultant Bruce Zim- ment and the cultures associated with them,” Waddell Washat Indian religion, also called Seven Drums. merman and Attorney Dan Hester to develop the agree- said. ment with Horizon. The Washat teaching proclaimed that “when spring and salmon came that none could be eaten until he 21st century approach, though, was born the first roots had been dug and the women had o put cous and huckleberry on the same level in part out of frustration with the terms and prepared a feast.” This is the custom that respects as other First Foods in the CTUIR’s own gov- accounting used by the Bonneville Power Ad- ernance structure, Quaempts is pushing a pro- T and honors the power of nature’s law (sometimes ministration to mitigate for losses caused by hydroelec- T called Tamunwit). The women diggers on horse- posal to create a CTUIR Range and Forest Commission tric dams on the Columbia River. BPA determined the back had gathered the First Foods for the annual that would consider women’s foods issues along with number of mitigation “habitat units” based on an evalu- blessing at the tribal longhouse. the many grazing and timber issues that are going to ation process that was not in sync with cultural values All of the tribal negotiators at the 1855 Treaty accompany the Tribe’s assumption of those functions of tribal members. Council in the Walla Walla valley, in particular from BIA. Quaempts envisions the commission would “What do habitat units mean to the community we the Young Chief (Cayuse), argued the land could function much like the Tribes’ Water Resources Com- work for?” said Quaempts, who began to think about not be sold because it is the mother that keeps mission address water, and the Tribes’ Fish and Wild- the words of elders like Steve Sohappy, Louie and Ma- us alive and we do not own it; that our children life Commission and anticipates a great deal of commu- rie Dick, and the artwork created by his father, Peter need a place to live; and that the land and people nity interest in serving on such a commission were it Quaempts, which is rich in First Foods themes. are together one. The Young Chief was able to formed. It all boiled down to the First Foods served at the stay some land for the people and the Smowhalla Obviously, Quaempts said, the First Foods approach Longhouse. teachings lead the way. is not an original idea. Rather, it’s been part of the In- Quaempts thought, “If these First Foods are so du- Today, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla dian way of life since time immemorial. It’s ironic now, rable, why not use them as the model for the Depart- Indian Reservation (CTUIR), with the leadership he said, that the concept is considered innovative. ment’s vision and goals?” of some very young men in the past, reestablished the Seven Drum religion which is housed in the Nixyaawii Longhouse. It is the home for all cultural DNR’s First Foods mission statement events. The final word on the First Food policy is To protect, restore, and enhance the First Foods – water, salmon, deer, cous, and Smowhalla’s vision of a new day for the Indian huckleberry – for the perpetual cultural, economic, and sovereign benefit of the people who stay together and live respecting na- Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. We will accomplish this ture’s law. The CTUIR has undergone revolution- utilizing traditional, ecological and cultural knowledge and science to inform population ary change in rebuilding the Umatilla Nation which is modern but retains a strong cultural spirit. I be- and habitat management goals and actions, and natural resource policies and lieve Smowhalla would have an explanation for the regulatory mechanisms. kind of accomplishments we have made today.

March 2008 Confederated Umatilla Journal 23