The Unbroken Current: Umatilla Tribe, Columbia River Fishing Rights, and the Enduring Plateau Culture
The Columbia River, a colossal artery carving through the Pacific Northwest, is more than just a waterway; it is the lifeblood, the spiritual center, and the historical battleground for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). For millennia, the Umatilla, Cayuse, and Walla Walla peoples—the constituent tribes of the CTUIR—have lived in profound interdependence with the river and its most sacred gift: the salmon. Their story is a powerful testament to cultural resilience, the enduring weight of treaty promises, and the ongoing struggle to protect a way of life intrinsically tied to the natural world.
At the heart of the Umatilla narrative lies the Columbia River and its salmon. Before the arrival of Euro-American settlers, the Plateau culture, of which the Umatilla are a vibrant part, revolved around a seasonal round dictated by the availability of resources. Salmon, however, stood paramount. It was not merely food; it was a relative, a teacher, a spiritual guide, and the economic backbone of their society. Vast trade networks extended from the Pacific Coast to the Great Plains, with dried salmon serving as a crucial currency. Ceremonies, stories, and social structures were interwoven with the salmon’s life cycle. The Columbia River, particularly sites like Celilo Falls, was a bustling hub where thousands gathered annually to harvest, trade, and reaffirm cultural bonds. This profound connection shaped their identity, their language, and their understanding of the world.
The foundational legal framework for the Umatilla’s contemporary rights stems from the Treaty of 1855, signed at the Walla Walla Council. Under duress and with profound misunderstandings of land ownership, the tribes ceded vast tracts of ancestral land to the United States government. In return, however, they explicitly reserved certain inherent rights, chief among them being the "exclusive right of taking fish in the streams running through and bordering said reservation, and at all other usual and accustomed stations, in common with citizens of the United States." This seemingly simple clause, "usual and accustomed places" and "in common with citizens," would become the bedrock of decades of legal battles and a constant source of contention. For the tribes, these words meant the continuation of their ancient practices, a guarantee that their lifeblood would remain accessible. For the burgeoning non-Native population and the state governments, it often meant an inferior right, subject to state regulation and, eventually, dismissal.
The 20th century brought unprecedented assaults on these treaty-guaranteed rights and the very ecosystem that sustained the Umatilla. The construction of massive hydroelectric dams along the Columbia River system proved to be the most devastating blow. The Dalles Dam, completed in 1957, submerged Celilo Falls, the spiritual and economic heart of Plateau fishing for over 10,000 years. The roar of Celilo Falls once echoed for miles, a constant reminder of the salmon’s abundance and the Creator’s generosity. Its silencing was a wound that never truly healed, a profound act of cultural violence that displaced families, destroyed sacred sites, and severely hampered traditional fishing practices. While the tribes received monetary compensation for the physical loss of fishing sites, the spiritual and cultural void was immeasurable. As CTUIR leaders often state, "You cannot put a price on a sacred place."
Despite the physical destruction, the legal and spiritual battle for fishing rights intensified. The Umatilla and other Columbia River treaty tribes refused to let their rights be extinguished. They faced consistent discrimination, arrests, and harassment by state game wardens who sought to regulate tribal fishing beyond the scope of their treaty-reserved rights. This persistent infringement ultimately forced the issue into federal courts.
A series of landmark legal victories in the latter half of the 20th century gradually affirmed and clarified the tribes’ treaty rights. Key among these was Sohappy v. Smith (1969), which established that the treaty right to fish "in common with citizens" meant that the tribes were entitled to a "fair share" of the harvestable salmon, not merely an opportunity to fish after non-Native fishers had taken their fill. This case, and its subsequent rulings under United States v. Oregon (often referred to as the Belloni Decision and its progeny), mandated that state and federal agencies manage the salmon resource to ensure tribal treaty fishing rights were met. The courts affirmed what the tribes had always known: their treaty rights were paramount, predating statehood and standing as the supreme law of the land. These rulings led to the establishment of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) in 1977, a collaborative body comprising the CTUIR, Nez Perce Tribe, Warm Springs Tribes, and Yakama Nation, dedicated to restoring salmon populations and protecting tribal fishing rights. CRITFC’s motto, "Sustaining the fish, protecting the rights, restoring the runs," encapsulates their mission.
Today, the struggle for the Columbia River and its salmon continues on multiple fronts. While the legal foundation for treaty fishing rights is firmly established, the practical challenges are immense. The legacy of the dams persists, blocking salmon migration, altering river temperatures, and changing habitat. Hatchery programs, once seen as a solution, present their own complex issues, sometimes undermining the genetic integrity of wild salmon runs. Climate change poses an existential threat, with rising river temperatures and altered streamflows impacting salmon survival. Habitat degradation from agriculture, logging, and development further stresses the fragile ecosystem.
In response, the Umatilla Tribe, often through CRITFC, is at the forefront of innovative solutions. They are actively involved in co-management efforts with federal and state agencies, bringing invaluable traditional ecological knowledge to the scientific and policy discussions. They advocate for dam breaching or removal where feasible, improved fish passage technologies, and robust habitat restoration projects, such as riparian planting and stream enhancement. The CTUIR also operates its own Umatilla River Hatchery, focusing on genetically appropriate stocks and wild fish recovery. Their fisheries biologists work tirelessly to monitor populations, conduct research, and ensure that the salmon, and thus their culture, can endure.
Beyond the legal and environmental battles, the Umatilla Tribe is deeply committed to cultural revitalization. The Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, located near Pendleton, Oregon, serves as a beacon, preserving and sharing the history, culture, and contemporary life of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla peoples. It’s a place where traditional languages are taught, where the stories of the ancestors are retold, and where the next generation learns the profound significance of the salmon. Ceremonies tied to the salmon’s return, such as the First Foods Feast, are not merely historical reenactments but vibrant, living expressions of their enduring connection to the land and the river. Youth are engaged in fishing camps, language immersion programs, and traditional arts, ensuring that the knowledge and practices are passed down.
The Umatilla’s fight for their Columbia River fishing rights is not solely about fish; it is about sovereignty, identity, and environmental justice. It is a testament to the fact that treaties are living documents, and promises made must be promises kept. Their persistent advocacy underscores a deeper philosophy: that the health of the salmon reflects the health of the people, and the health of the river reflects the health of the entire ecosystem.
As the Columbia River continues its powerful journey to the sea, so too does the Umatilla Tribe continue its unwavering commitment to its ancestral heritage. Their story is a powerful reminder that while the landscape may change and challenges may persist, the unbroken current of their culture, fed by the spiritual and physical nourishment of the salmon, flows ever onward. The future of the Umatilla, the salmon, and the Columbia River remain inextricably linked, a testament to a relationship forged over millennia and defended with unyielding spirit.
