The treaties provided a clear quid-pro-quo: Columbia Basin tribes would give up land, thousands of acres of it, in return for perpetual fishing rights in the Columbia and some of its tributaries.
But it's a different river basin now, with big dams on the main river and many more on the streams that feed the Columbia, and far fewer fish.
Oregon Public Broadcasting and Pro Publica have teamed up for a long look at the indigenous relationship with salmon, including the recently completed documentary “Wy-Kan-Ush-Pum: (Salmon People)." It profiles a family enrolled in the Yakama nation, its dependence upon Columbia salmon, and the many challenges to maintaining a way of life caught between ancient practices and modern realities.
Director/Producer/Photographer Katie Campbell is our guest.