(This is Lesson Plan 3 for Crystal Boulton-Scott and Joseph Scott’s curriculum, “Tribal First Foods: American Indian first foods, legends, and traditional ecological knowledge along the route of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery.”)
Essential Questions
In what ways do salmon (specifically, the fall and spring Chinook salmon) represent not just a First Food, but serve as a guide for understanding the resilience of living things, the cyclical nature of time, and the continuity of Place?
How are Human Beings and Salmon People related, and how is this reflected in many tribal peoples’ Ways of Knowing?
First Foods Education Concepts Review
Educators have the opportunity and responsibility to convey to learners that the exploration of first foods goes far beyond the study of the plants and animals eaten by members of the tribes and bands encountered by the Corps of Discovery in their journeys through tribal homelands. First Foods embody a deep and sacred understanding of self and place. Among tribal peoples of the Pacific Northwest, perhaps no other First Food embodies the sacredness, the compassion, and the dependence experienced between Human Beings and Place over salmon. Many tribes and bands of what is now known as the Northwestern United States identify themselves as “Salmon People”, and have conducted their lives under the watchful eye of Creator as their relationship to the rivers’ Salmon People shapes their oneness with Place and guides their associated lifeways.
The knowledge of First Foods is often where Western science and traditional ways of knowing meet, overlap, and collide. Since time immemorial, bands and tribes have known that their ways of tending to the balance of elements and seasons underlie their prosperity and resilience. The intuitive nature of this knowledge predates colonial science by immeasurable time. The colonial approach to environmental change as a “problem in need of a solution”, and the use of terms such as “discovery” often lose their meaning as indigenous knowledge is increasingly recognized, honored, consulted, and uplifted as “First Knowing”. For the educator, this is an excellent way to frame the following teachings. The teachings offer an opportunity to remind the young that there are many ways of knowing and that one way may very well not be any better or worse than another. Learning to appreciate different ways of knowledge represents a type of growing and maturing for all of us. The following lesson about the Salmon People, in particular, will help the educator illustrate the cyclical nature of things, and will offer an opportunity to illustrate the importance of compassion and understanding, not only when interacting with the environment, but when cultivating positive relationships among all things.
The lesson should also facilitate an understanding among young learners of the meaning of loss, and the enduring nature of traumatic loss. While this isn’t to suggest that educators dig into the personal lives of their learners, it is very important to impress upon learners that when Celilo Falls was drowned under Lake Celilo as The Dalles Dam formed its associated reservoir, the bands and tribes of what is now known as the Pacific Northwest experienced the loss everything from Place: a social gathering, trading, and communications space, to Self: a sense of one-ness with the river, the Salmon People living there, and a way of knowing that began at creation, and – in a matter of moments – was to be lost forever. In addition, the first people of the area were guaranteed access to their traditional fishing places and the fish by legally binding treaties
(Use “Assessment 1: First Foods Enduring Understandings” Rubric to evaluate the understanding of the following Enduring Understandings vocabulary and concepts)
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The Salmon People Enduring Understandings: The People, The Place, The First Foods, and The Culture(s) |
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| People | Place | First Food(s) | Cultural Components |
| Celilo band of Warm Springs, as well as other bands and tribes dependent on the fishery provided at Celilo Falls, and including the Native American bands and tribes from across what is now called North America who gathered regularly at Celilo Falls to trade, share news, gamble, feast, and generally enjoy good things provided by creation. | Celilo Falls – Now known as Celilo, members of the Warm Springs Confederacy (Celilo Falls was silenced in 1955, and the river feature still exists under the reservoir created by The Dalles Dam.) | Homelands of Salmon People (the Native American bands and tribes who regard themselves as both living relatives of salmon, and who rely on salmon for food and trade); typically found in the Pacific Northwest. In the specific example, the Celilo People, the south side of the Columbia River downstream from The Dalles Dam | The construction of The Dalles Dam, the flooding and destruction of Celilo Falls, and the subsequent loss of cultural identity, legal treaty rights, a place of great spiritual power and social importance among the bands and tribes of Native American people. |
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Enduring Understanding: First Foods |
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| Spring Chinook | Fall Chinook |
| https://www.critfc.org/salmon-culture/tribal-salmon-culture/celilo-falls/
Historically, Pacific salmon was the most abundant, and therefore most important food resource among coastal peoples and residents of major watersheds. In both spring and fall, salmon would travel up the rivers to spawn. Native people caught these fish using traps, nets, spears, and other highly specialized tools and techniques. As salmon moved upriver toward spawning grounds, First Salmon Ceremonies have been traditionally held to offer thanks to Creator for a good catch, and promise to keep abiding Creator’s guidance. Chinook are the largest of the Pacific salmon. |
https://www.critfc.org/salmon-culture/tribal-salmon-culture/celilo-falls/
. The two major runs of Pacific salmon discussed in this lesson are the spring chinook and the fall chinook. |
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Enduring Understandings: Cultural and Technical Concepts |
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| Fishing Tools | Fishing Rights | The Dalles Dam | The Columbia River |
| Dipnet
Spear Wheel Net Trap |
Treaties
“Fish ins” Current conditions
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Dam (Dalles)
Spillway Reservoir Fish Ladder |
https://www.britannica.com/place/Columbia-River
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Enduring Understanding: Connections to the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery |
| Physical falls as observed/described by the Corps of Discovery:
https://www.nps.gov/places/celilo-falls-portage.htm Accounts of tribal activities observed at Celilo Falls: https://www.historylink.org/File/5355
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Cultural Universals focus
| Food | Transportation | Entertainment | Government |
| Clothing | Science | Communication | Tools/Technology |
| Shelter | Medicine | Medium of Exchange | Family/Kin |
| World View | Arts |
First Foods Environmental Teaching and Learning
The exploration of first foods goes far beyond the study of plants and animals crucial to the dietary needs of tribes encountered by the Corps of Discovery. First foods embody a deep and sacred understanding of self and place. These understandings shape tribal societies and guide the rounds that tribal people have made since the beginning of time as they pursue physical, cultural, and spiritual prosperity. Carried within these rounds are the laws of Creator, the values of the people, and an understanding that tribal people are not simply from a place. Tribal people ARE that place as much as any other part of the landscape. The knowledge of traditional foods is often where western science and traditional ecology meet. In good times, first foods are plentiful, lush, and full of the nutrition that sustains old and new generations. This is a time for celebration. In hard times, the Human Beings know in their hearts that the Creator has purpose and justification for sending a challenge. Tribal ways of knowing offer non-natives a science for the academic understanding of traditional knowledge.
When and where will this lesson take place?
In terms of season, there are salmon available year – round.
With whom will you collaborate to make your project successful?
Entry Question: After completing the project(s), what will students and instructors be able to do?
- Review the acronym “TEK”, and define the term.
- Listen to and demonstrate understanding of the story “We are Salmon People” (where the salmon themselves are also called “Salmon People”, not just the bands and tribes that live off of the fish).
- Develop a greater understanding of the concept of cycles, and recognize that the lives of indigenous people are tied to a series of interconnected cycles.
- Identify the two important species of salmon discussed in this lesson, and tell the story of their life cycles in the form of a skit.
- Develop an appreciation for the importance of Celilo Falls to tribal people all over what is now called the Western United States
- Identify some bands and tribes who identify themselves as “Salmon People”, people who are both related to and who rely on the nutritional and trade value of salmon..
- Describe why fish are so important to “Salmon People”.
- Using the life of salmon as an example, explore the significance of cycles in the world.
- Identify and describe a variety of cycles found among the earth and among all living things.
- Recall the modern story of Celilo Falls.
- Recall several Native American stories about the origins of mountains, river rapids, and important sacred places (including a review of the term “sacred”).
- Describe several different methods of catching salmon.
- Describe how salmon can be cooked and/or preserved.
Lesson Procedures:
- Remind learners that the lessons in this unit address many beliefs held among some tribal groups about the topic of “TEK” – Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Refer back to previous lessons and guiding documents for a thorough explanation of what TEK means, and the significance of tradition, ecology, and traditional ecological wisdom.
- Remind learners that TEK is a “way of knowing”, and that there are other ways of knowing that may or may not concur with tribal knowledge.
- Introduce the Celilo band of the Warm Springs Confederacy; traditional homelands, cultural practices— and, in particular, their connection to salmon and the falls.
- Listen to the associated stories (She Who Watches, Bridge of the Gods, and We are Salmon People) Consult the PCVREQ posted in the learning environment, available in the Lesson 1 support materials folder, as well as the Storytelling Assessment Rubric.
- Clarify the role of storytelling in tribal culture. Clarify for learners that the stories often represent objective truth among many tribal people, that stories are often the property of specific individuals, and that there is often a time and place where stories may be told. (Permission to share the included stories has been secured. Be cautious when sharing other stories.
- Compare and contrast scientific/historic/anthropological explanations for the formation of the Cascade Mountains, the possibility that a physical bridge across the Columbia existed before the arrival of outsiders, and the significance of the petroglyph She Who Watches. (A quick lesson on exactly what petroglyphs are would be helpful, as would this brief video by Celilo descendent Ed Edmo: https://ededmo.tripod.com/id1.html
- Define, describe and explain “cycle”. Ask learners if they know of other words and phrases containing “cycle”, and discuss what cycle is, and what cycle does. This is a great time to start talking about cycles in general, and review some cycles educators and learners have already thought about: seasonal cycles, life cycles, water, and earth cycles, and others.
- Transition to “salmon cycle”, Share the “Salmon Cycle” skit. Ask learners to recall details from the performance. Challenge learners to describe other cycles that might be connected to the salmon cycle.
- Describe different traditional methods of catching salmon. – Gill nets, fish wheels, dip netting, spearing, traditional rod, and reel, etc.
- Explore the multiple purposes of dams and reservoirs, and discuss who benefits most from their construction.
Optional Activities:
- Locate a representative of a local tribe’s Natural Resources department, and ask for a demonstration of traditional fishing methods.
- Acquire and cook salmon using traditional methods; include a demonstration of preservation (drying, pounding, mixing pemmican) if possible.
- Use performance and discussion to explore the concept of the treaty, and what the violation of treaty looks and feels like.
- Locate and share archival images of Celilo Falls, before and after, and discuss how reservoirs affect the salmon cycle.
- Explore and make presentations on alternatives to hydroelectric power.
*While access to many resources is available by way of the Internet, one cannot assume that reliable and consistent access to electronic media is a given. All of the tribes and bands addressed by these lessons offer resources beyond those found electronically. Printed and recorded language teaching and learning materials are available directly from tribes, as are similar tools related to culture and history. Most tribes have in their possession, or have access to primary documents describing their encounters (and/or the effects of these encounters) with the Lewis and Clark expedition and other European or Euro-American invaders.
Much of the information shared in this lesson plan is provided by the Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission. See: https://www.critfc.org/fish-and-watersheds/columbia-river-fish-species/columbia-river-salmon/