Running With Salmon

Posted by Catherine Stifter

September 22, 2006

There's something so powerful about the idea of bringing salmon back to the Yuba that I signed myself up to be part of the historic Tsi-Akim Maidu ceremony happening on Saturday October 7. I'll be part of a group of support runners who are going to accompany a salmon on its journey from the lower Yuba River back to the waters above the Engelbright Dam at Bridgeport.

As Steve Nicola writes in the press release Now, after an absence of 158 years, the Tribe's “first salmon” ceremony will once again be seen on the banks of the South Fork of the Yuba River. The ceremony will constitute a significant milestone in the Tribe's ongoing efforts to restore its culture and preserve its identity. And, just as importantly, it will bring the Indian and non-Indian communities together to begin healing the wounds that we all bear that are the legacy of the Gold Rush.

I'm getting chills just writing this. This ceremony will be conducted by a Maidu elder in a drug-free, alcohol-free environment where the principle participants will have fasted for 2 days to become clean enough to make this ceremony the most powerful it could be (if I understand it correctly-and I admit to a limited understanding of such things). AND the Maidu are inviting everyone to observe! What a privilege to be able to be there.

Many agencies have signed on to this ceremony. State parks will make room for the ceremony, the Highway Patrol will help keep runners safe, Fish and Game gave a permit to spear the salmon in the traditional manner, SYRCL is coordinating the various helpers and runners, Deep Ecology Institute, The Sierra Fund and the Yuba Watershed Institute all played a part.

This is truly a community event, one that can help to knit all the parts of our community together.

You won't see any pictures of it, nor videos or recordings. None of that is allowed. You can be there and capture it all with your mind and your heart. I'll write more about the experience here and encourage some of the others who will participate to share their thoughts and feelings afterwards as well. Go to the SYRCL website for information about being a support runner.

The Calling Back the Salmon Ceremony will begin at sunrise on Saturday October 7, at Parks Bar on the Yuba River at Highway 20. The run is expected to get underway about noon, with the ceremony at The South Yuba State Park at Bridgeport taking place sometime around 3:00pm. All are welcome.

P.S. Pleasant Valley Road is closed from Highway 49 to Bridgeport, so make sure you go in from Highway 20.