Members of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe of California are in New Zealand to pray for the return of salmon.

Tribal members will meet with Maori leaders and perform a ceremonial dance they haven't done in more than 60 years. The goal is to entice the Chinook salmon to return to waters in northern California.

The tribe blames low salmon runs on the Shasta Dam. The tribe also says the federal government never came through on promises to set aside a reservation for the Winnemem Wintu.

The tribe lacks federal recognition, a situation that Chief Caleen Sisk-Franco blames on a clerical error at the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Get the Story:
California Tribe Hopes to Woo Salmon Home (The New York Times 3/21)
Native Americans to dance for salmon (The Press 3/23)

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Winnemem Wintu Tribe files suit over lost land (4/21)