Native Lifeways

Indigenous histories and lifeways are as abounding and diverse as the Tribes and individuals who have been connected to the land and water since time immemorial. Native ways of knowing bring forward teachings built through observation over countless generations that serve as a guide from our ancestors to protect and honor the waterways, lands, and continue life. We work to share culture and traditional knowledge - so that we can take care of our world and relationships to one another. Here are resources and thought-leadership that promote Native presence in our region and beyond.

 

 

LAND OF THE YAKAMAS

Since Time Immemorial, Yakamas lived by the laws of the creator; honoring and protecting the resources that provide for the physical and spiritual sustenance of human beings. “Land of the Yakamas” fosters awareness of the unprecedented changes to Yakama Nation homelands and waters caused by the degradation of the environment over the last 150 years.

 
 

Alfred "Bud" Lane III, of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, is a language and traditional arts instructor. He teaches students the Siletz Dee-ni dialect of the Athabaskan language, as well as traditional basket weaving and regalia making. Here, Bud speaks about the history of the Siletz Dance House movement and how language is essential to culture. 

Video by Charles Weber | Editing by Sara Legg and Charlie Weber

 

THE LOST FISH - The Struggle to Save Pacific Lamprey

In the heavily dammed Columbia River Basin, millions have been spent on life support systems for Pacific Salmon. Yet, the little-known Pacific Lamprey has slipped through the cracks of conservation efforts and is now lost from most of its historic range in the Columbia Basin. Desperately, members of the Nez Perce, Umatilla, Yakama and Warm Springs Tribes have taken the management of Pacific lamprey into their own hands and are now fighting to bring political attention and social will to the struggle of a lost fish. Running time: 24 min

Produced in Partnership with the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, and in cooperation with the US Fish & Wildlife Service.

critfc.org | fws.gov | thelostfish.org | freshwatersillustrated.org

 

 

Indigenous Seed Keepers Network

Seeds are a vibrant and vital foundation for food sovereignty, and are the basis for a sustainable, healthy agriculture.  We understand that seeds are our precious collective inheritance and it is our responsibility to care for the seeds as part of our responsibility to feed and nourish ourselves and future generations. The mission of the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network is to nourish and assist the growing Seed Sovereignty Movement across Turtle Island ( North America). As a national network, we leverage resources and cultivate solidarity and communication within the matrix of regional grass-roots tribal seed sovereignty projects.  

nativefoodalliance.org

 
 

“The human remains themselves, have a say in this.”

Louis Pitt shares with the Confluence Project his experiences with repatriation.