The Celilo Fish Committee is a committee formed by representatives from the

Yakama Nation The Yakama Indian Reservation (spelled Yakima until 1994) is a Native American reservation in Washington state of the federally recognized tribe known as the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. The tribe is made up of Klikitat ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

Description

The Celilo Fish Committee was formed and run by representatives from the

, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation,

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation are the federally recognized confederations of three Sahaptin-speaking Native Americans of the United States, Native American tribes who traditionally inhabited the Columbia River Plate ...

, and unenrolled river chiefs to govern fishing along the

Columbia river The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...

in 1935 until 1957. They settled disputes among fishermen, protected Indian fishing rights, and regulated fish use by operating in a court-like manner. The Committee's power to settle these disputes came from the respect of the members involved. Collectively, the committee's twelve members shared responsibility for protecting and administering Indian fishing, promoting law and order at the fisheries, and prioritizing subsistence fishing ahead of commercial fishing. The

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

brought many challenges to the Celilo Indians when Congress authorized funding for the Dalles Dam. The Yakama Nation, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation, and Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation were granted treaty guaranteed fishing rights perpetually in 1855. The location of

Celilo Falls Celilo Falls (; , meaning "echo of falling water" or "sound of water upon the rocks," in several native languages) was a tribal fishing area on the Columbia River, just east of the Cascade Range, Cascade Mountains, on what is today the border bet ...

was outside the boundaries of the adjacent Indian reservations that were guaranteed fishing access which caused its status under the law to be ambiguous. Groups, including the treatied tribal members, those of the area of Native Americans, and white people negotiated for access to the waters and sold the fish they caught to a cannery. During Salmon season, up to 5,000 fishers could be gathered at once. Although chaotic, they still cooperated in a type of “market governed by custom.” Infrastructure consisted of “jerry-rigged platforms'' that fishers stood upon and used nets to scoop up fish. Today, Columbia River tribes commercially harvest

chinook salmon The Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is the largest and most valuable species of Oncorhynchus, Pacific salmon. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other vernacular names for the species include king salmon, quinn ...

at 1.5 percent the levels compared to 1855. Indiscriminate logging, careless farming methods, and over reliance on hatcheries are factors that lead to fish decline.

History

A new fish committee to control fishing regulations among Indians was recommended in a 1934 Celilo meeting. This recommendation turned into the Celilo Fish Committee in 1935 when the

Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States List of United States federal agencies, federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of the Interior. It is responsible for im ...

approved its constitution and by-laws. Celilo Falls was an important center for native trade, culture, and ceremony. For thousands of years, Pacific Northwest Indians fished, bartered, socialized, and honored their ancestors at Celilo Falls, part of a nine-mile stretch of the Long Narrows on the Columbia River. Celilo Falls disappeared under the backwaters of The Dalles dam in March 1957.

References

{{Reflist Fishing and the environment History of fishing Fishing areas Fishing articles by importance Yakama