"As a member of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe of Northern California, I want to shed some light on what we are doing to protect our culture, land, and way of life.

Winnemem Wintu translates to English as the “middle water people,” referring to the Winnemem Waywaket (McCloud River) that flows between the Sacramento River and the Pit River from the sacred waters of Mount Shasta – our genesis place.

Since time immemorial, we have conducted ceremonies to fulfill our responsibilities to take care of our homeland and the spirit world we live in. In return for our efforts we are given protection and spiritual well-being. This is our belief and the main reason why we are still here today dancing our dances and praying in our traditional way.

The Chinook salmon no longer come up the McCloud River since the Shasta Dam was built in the 1940s. Fish experts of the day thought that a fish hatchery would do the same job that the McCloud River did for wild Chinook salmon. Never once did they think of how the Winnemem Wintu would survive.

We were completely dependent on the Chinook salmon runs for food, culture, ceremony, and tribal rights. Nor did they plan for where the Winnemem Wintu people would live once Shasta Lake was full."

Get the Story:
Michael Preston: Protecting salmon, ceremonies and culture (Indian Country 7/14)