WAIMEA — On Tuesday, fifth graders listened intently as Chief Caleen Sisk explained a part they will play in a two-week Run4Salmon Ceremonial trek she and her Winnemem Wintu tribe are leading in Northern California Sept. 17-Oct. 1.
The Kanu o ka Aina students will follow the trip online, tracking the route daily via blogs and updates on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and posting encouraging messages to the group.
The 300-mile trek follows the historical journey of salmon from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to McCloud River. The Run’s purpose is to raise awareness about policies that are currently threatening the waters, fish and indigenous lifeways there.
The Winnemem Wintu tribe is indigenous to the area, where they have inhabited ancestral territory from Mt. Shasta down the McCloud River watershed for thousands of years. During World War II, Shasta Dam was built, flooding the tribe’s homes and blocking the salmon runs.
“Twenty-six miles of our river was taken from the salmon and Winnemem when Shasta Dam was constructed in 1945,” Sisk said.
The Winter-Run Chinook Salmon are now on the verge of extinction. Years of drought and water mismanagement have devastated their once thriving populations.
“They now want to raise the dam 20 more feet, which will flood seven more miles of river, putting our sacred places under water, some permanently,” Sisk said. “We are taking a prayerful journey to restore our salmon runs, protect our waters and our lifeways.”
Waimea resident Pua Case, her daughter, Hawane Rios, and friend Niria Alicia Garcia will participate in the journey and provide updates for the Kanu students daily.
“We advocate for all aspects of clean water and the restoration of salmon to their natural spawning grounds,” Case said. “The students will use this to expand their knowledge and connection to the Pacific and to the peoples who are currently involved in huge movements to stand for their waters and their salmon.”
The journey will start in Glen Cove, Calif. on Sept. 17.
“You can follow us on Run4 Salmon on FB, Instagram and Twitter,” Garcia told the students. “We will be posting daily what’s happening and providing backstage footage of the journey led by Chief Sisk. You can use several different hastags from the classroom while following the trip if you you have a question or just want to give a shout out to the group. We look forward to seeing your postings. Thanks for supporting us from afar.”
Rios added, “This whole run is a prayer, it’s a ceremony. It’s about keeping the intention to focus on the water and bring back the salmon.”
The Winnemem Wintu tribe has been formally recognized by the California Native American Heritage Commission, an agency of the State of California, with responsibility for preserving and protecting Native American sites and cultural resources in California.
Info: Run4Salmon.org
