Like the Salmon, We Return!

By: Taylor Pennewell, Co-founder, Executive Director

Huddled together on a platform at the base of the Lake Oroville Barrier Dam, we watched as hundreds of salmon leapt with all their might, out of the Feather River and toward home. Deep in their DNA, the call of home was fierce, the songs, the smells, and the memories pulled them like a magnet from the ocean back to the waters of their ancestors. Desperate and determined to return, they hurled themselves from the water, only to find their path blocked by the dam. Each time, they hit the wall and fell back, pushed farther from home and redirected toward the hatchery. 

We now know that these salmon relatives will not find a peaceful rest. Instead, they will face a sterile death without ceremony, in a lab. It’s impossible for us to ignore the parallels between their journey and ours. Like the salmon, Maidu people feel a magnetic pull back to the places we were once removed from. The water and mountains sing to us when we cross back into our homelands. And like the salmon, our cultures and communities are at risk of disappearing. Too often, we are forced to live and die without the ceremonies, songs, and stories that give our lives meaning and balance. There is also a growing awareness that if the scientific and cultural knowledge of our communities disappears, the environmental consequences will be immense, and felt by all.

To close the first year of the Feather River Advocacy Project, we chose to spend time with our salmon relatives: to acknowledge their journey and their struggle, to thank them for the sustenance they have long provided our families, and to deepen our commitment to advocating for the Feather River. After visiting the hatchery, we rafted down the river, waving to the salmon as they jumped and danced beneath our boats. 

With the help of Alona Watson, Shane Noel, and their family, dozens of Maidu people reconnected with the traditional practice of spear fishing, building spears, learning about food sovereignty, and reaffirming our responsibility to protect our fishing and hunting rights. 

We ended the weekend camping on the traditional homelands of the Konkow Valley Band of Maidu Indians. We cooked acorn soup and sang songs passed down through generations, our voices rising into the night sky. The stars seemed to twinkle brighter, happy to hear our songs again. 

Though the dams still stand tall, they are not strong enough to keep our people apart. Like the salmon, we face enormous barriers, but our foods, songs, dances, games, stories, and laughter endure; they are the roots that anchor us, growing deep and strong, winding their way around any dam that stands in our path. 

Make a donation in support of the Feather River Advocacy Project

Sincerely,Taylor Pennewell

Executive Director & Founder, Redbud Resource Group

Tribal Member, Berry Creek Rancheria Band of Maidu Indians of California