Confluence Library
Charles Strom (Yakama) discusses the Cle Elum Supplementation Research Facility and talks about the importance of carrying on the legacy of the Yakama Nation via caring for the fish. Video by Woodrow Hunt of Tule Films.
Alysia and Elke LittleLeaf (Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs) talk about their business as fly fishing guides and the importance of fish and water to their rights and ways of life. Video by Woodrow Hunt of Tule Films.
Filmmaker Woodrow Hunt is Klamath/Modoc/Cherokee and founder of Tule Films. He is the filmmaker for the Confluence Documentary Shorts that were released in April 2019.
The 1878 eclipse brought the Nez Perce War to public eye and allowed them to secretly return home from Canada. At the same time, the Bannock were cleared out of Malheur by the Army. Canneries profited from the eclipse.
Although the eclipse of 1834 was not visible in the Northwest, an 1860 total solar eclipse started off Cape Disappointment. Research for a subsequent total solar eclipse in 1869 fueled U.S. interests in Alaska.
Yakama time balls were woven twine that detailed major events of a woman’s life- sometimes including eclipses. Several major eclipses were visible in the Northwest from 1503-1806 including one eclipse obscured by clouds.
A prairie plant dug up by women and children, the Camas bulb was an important part of Columbia basin diets. Grazing animals on camas lands by settlers led to skirmishes between the Army and the Bannock tribes.
American Buffalo, or bison, was a staple of many Native diets, but had disappeared by the 1820s from most places west of the Clark Fork. Modern revival efforts by the Yakama nation have brought bison back.
Dogs were important animals to many tribes in the Columbia Basin, for many purposes including hunting, protection, fur, and food. Many early explorers also brought dogs, such as Clark’s Seaman and Douglas’s Billy.
The Greater Sage-Grouse is a bird whose mating call and dance have become an icon of the West. However, they are endangered and face extinction. The Yakama Nation is trying to reintroduce the sage-grouse to native lands.