Confluence Podcast

Last month, more than 25 educators gathered in our first-ever Confluence conference. A culmination of the Confluence learning community, it was the first time many of the participants had met in person. Today, we're talking with Confluence staff members Heather Gurko and Daria Martin Bigham and educators Kavika Kalama and Katherine Philips about the Confluence approach to education, which focuses on uplifting Indigenous voices.

From June to October of 1877, the US Calvary waged a brutal war against the Nimiipuu people, or the Nez Perce Tribe in the place we now call Idaho. Chief RedHeart and his band were not involved in that war. Even so, the US Army took him prisoner, along with the men, women, and children under his protection and held them at Fort Vancouver. Starting in 1998 the Nez Perce Tribe have hosted an annual memorial on the grounds of Fort Vancouver to honor the Redheart Band. In today's program, we'll hear today from Nez Perce Tribal members: Jeffery Scott, Clendon Allen, Danae Wilson, Pete Wilson, Jamie Pinkham, Tai Simpson, and Wilfred Scott. We'll also hear from Mary Wood and former Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard.

200 years after the Lewis and Clark journey, the first Confluence art installation was completed in 2006 at Cape Disappointment state park on the Washington state side of the river. At Confluence, we like to say that their journey's end point is where Confluence's work began–to reinterpret who this story is about and include the long neglected voices of Indigenous people. In this episode we talk with Tony Johnson, the chairman of the Chinook Indian Nation, Rachel Cushman, the Secretary/Treasurer of the Chinook Indian Nation, and Aaron Webster, a long time Washington State Park Interpretive Ranger at Cape Disappointment State Park.

In this episode of Confluence Radio, we hear from Antone Minthorn, a respected Elder and leader from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. In today's episode, we'll hear Antone Minthorn talk about tribal economies, the history of treaties along the Columbia River system, and how to get a collaborative “win-win”. You'll also hear Umatilla Tribal member Chuck Sams, who conducted this interview for Confluence back in 2019. Chuck went on to become the first Native American to lead the National Park Service.

What is the legacy of dams on the Columbia River? What would be the benefit of restoring salmon to the Columbia and reviving the health of the river? These are the questions considered in the latest volume of the Confluence journal Voices from the River. Volume 2 of our journal explores the Columbia River system's history, living cultures, and ecology through Indigenous voices. Dr. David Lewis led the development of our second volume as the Lead Editor. In this episode, we speak to Dr. Lewis, artist Chanti Manon, and Managing Editor Lily Hart.

In this episode, we talk with Tanna Engdahl, the spiritual leader for the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, located in Southwest Washington state. She is also an associate supervisor of the Clark Conservation District and a board member with the Friends of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Her career started in the 1960s as one of the first Native American television journalists. She worked in local TV news in Seattle. Tanna went on to work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and as Public Affairs Chief for both National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management. She is the founder of the Cowlitz Medicine Women

In today's episode, Confluence takes a look at our education program and how reciprocity appears in education. We'll hear from Heather Gurko, Confluence Education Manager and three Confluence Educators; Cowlitz Tribal member Emma Johnson, who recently earned her masters of science in cultural anthropology from Portland State University; and Christine and Clifton Bruno who have been sharing the Indigenous culture of the Pacific Northwest for more than 25 years. Clifton is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and Christine is Comache, Basque and Irish.

In today's episode, Confluence takes a look inward, specifically at Confluence's education programming in schools. Today, we'll hear from h three of those educators about what they do with students and why, including Emma Johnson, a Cowlitz Tribal member and recently earned her masters of science in cultural anthropology from Portland State University. Her interests include tribal food sovereignty and traditional ecological and cultural knowledge. We'll also hear from Christine and Clifton Bruno who have been sharing the Indigenous culture of the Pacific Northwest for more than 25 years. Clifton is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and Christine is Comache, Basque and Irish. The two of them work with schools, parks, land restoration projects and nonprofit organizations like Confluence and the Native Gathering Garden at Cully Park in Portland.

In this episode Roberta Conner, Director of the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, talks about oral traditions, Celilo Falls. She was raised in Cayuse Country and spent most of her formative years on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Her work as an author, speaker, local and national leader, and a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation earned her the 2007 Buffett Award.

In this episode, we hear from Bruce Jim, an elder with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and fish commissioner with the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. Bruce Jim is actively involved in restoring wildlife habitat on the Warm Springs Reservation in Central Oregon and beyond those boundaries to the Tribe's ceded lands in the John Day River basin and the high desert of the Columbia River region.

A new children's book by Warm Springs Elder Linda Meanus is hitting shelves this June, entitled My Name is LaMoosh. Linda grew up with her grandma Flora Thompson and grandpa Chief Tommy Thompson near Celilo Falls, a mighty fishery on the Columbia flooded in 1957 by the construction of The Dalles Dam. Linda persevered through this historic trauma and life's challenges to teach young people about the Indigenous ways of the Columbia River. Intended for young readers to learn more about Native American history through a first-hand account, the book also reminds them that Indigenous people maintain a cultural connection to the land and river that gave them their identity. In today's episode, we talk to Linda as well as Dr. Katy Barber (PSU) who supported her in this project.

For several year Confluence has gathering oral history interviews on an event known as the Redheart Memorial. It's an annual commemoration in Vancouver, Washington, commoratinve the suffering of the Redheart Band who the US Army imprisoned in 1877. Over the years, the Redheart memorial has evolved and deepened. In today's episode, we're going to hear from three Nez Perce Tribal members: Jeffery Scott, Clendon Allen, and Danae Wilson. You'll hear them talk about the healing and happiness this memorial brings, despite the tragedy it commemorates.

Canoe culture has been integral to the Columbia River system's Indigenous people since time immemorial. And Tribal canoes are still on the water today. In this episode of Confluence Radio, we hear from Brian Krehbiel and Bobby Mercier of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, Sam Robinson of the Chinook Indian Nation, Jefferson Greene of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and Tsali Cross and Jacelyn Lowley of the Portland All Nations Canoe Family. Tsali Cross is Cherokee and Caddo and Jacelyn Lowley is Couer d'Alene and Colville. Together, they all talk about their connection to the river, to canoes, and the importance of keeping Indigenous cultures alive today.

On today's episode, you're going to hear something most people never get a chance to hear—extended excerpts of stories in a traditional Native language of the Northwest, specifically the Nimiipuu, or Nez Perce people. We'll listen to Harry Slickpoo Jr. who is a traditional storyteller and member of the Nez Perce Tribe.

In this episode, we talk with Patsy Whitefoot. She's an elder from the Yakama Nation, a well known leader in education circles, an activist, and a Confluence board member. oday she talks about the Columbia River system, her experience with it, and the importance of reciprocity.

In November 2022, Confluence launched a new publication. Voices of the River journal features articles, stories, poetry and artwork by Native American writers and artists from Northwest Tribes. Confluence and its supporters celebrated the release of the inaugural issue of the journal during a launch party and panel discussion on November 18, 2022 at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, which is shared here in podcast format. Speakers include Rachel Cushman (Chinook), Chance White Eyes (Oneida), Emily Washinee (Yakama), and Sean Smith (Chinook).

Historians, like Alice in her Adventures in Wonderland, tend to fall down rabbit holes. At least that's what it feels like sometimes, getting lost in research into one period or people or historical event. In this episode of the Confluence podcast, we hear from a group of historians musing on their experiences going down rabbit holes in their study of Indigenous history. The conversation was moderated by historian Emily Washines, a member of the Yakama Nation, along with Gonzaga University Native American Studies Director Laurie Arnold and Coll Thrush, Professor of History at the University of British Columbia. This conversation was originally held at the Pacific Northwest History Conference in 2022, at the Confluence Story Circles.

In this episode of Confluence Podcast, we hear from Antone Minthorn, a respected Elder and leader from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. In this episode, Antone discusses tribal governance, what the tribal economy means for the wider community, and the role of treaties today.

In this episode, we're reaching into the Confluence Library to hear an interview with Tony Johnson, the Chairman of the Chinook Indian Nation. He describes how his Tribe has been working for decades to win federal recognition and what it means to him to be Chinook.

In this installment of the Confluence podcast, storyteller Ed Edmo (Shoshone Bannock), photographer Joe Cantrell (Cherokee) and composter Nancy Ives who talked about their new symphony called “Celilo Falls We Were There.” Conductor Yaki Bergman was also at the event but as he was there via zoom, the mic did not pick up his audio. For the symphony Ed paired his poetry with Nancy Ives music and projected photographic images by Joe Cantrell. “Celilo Falls We Were There” explores the geologic and human history of Celilo Falls, and how when The Dalles Dam flooded the Falls in 1957 Indigenous people lost not only their livelihoods but their cultural and spiritual home since time immemorial.

What do we do with these stories, what do I do with these stories, asks Ciarra Green in this episode of the Confluence Podcast. Ciarra's academic background is in chemistry and environmental science. Ciarra shares traditional stories about her homelands in what we now call Idaho and eastern Oregon and Washington. She also explains the values and lessons those stories can mean for us today.

Today, we get to hear traditional stories from Ciarra Greene (Nimiipuu/Nez Perce Tribe). Her academic background is in chemistry and environmental science. In this episode, Ciarra shares traditional stories about her homelands in what we now call Idaho and eastern Oregon and Washington. She also explains the values and lessons those stories can mean for us today.

“Salmon have always kept their word…” In this episode, we talk with filmmaker WoodrowHunt a Klamath/Modoc/ Cherokee descendent and Bobbie Conner, a member of the Confederate Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and Executive Director of the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, about Hunt's recent film, Salmon's Agreement.

In this episode two members of Northwest Indigenous nations, David Lewis and Teara Farrow Ferman discuss the history of the Columbia watershed and new efforts to improve wildlife habitat and water quality.

On this episode of the Confluence Story Gathering Podcast we dive into the current cultural discussion on monuments and who tells the stories behind monuments, to ask how do we memorialize our history today? Three Indigenous women who live in the Pacific Northwest joined us for this discussion, Bobbie Conner, Deana Dartt, and Emily Washines. About the Speakers: Bobbie Conner is an enrolled member at the Confederated Tribes of Umatilla and director of Tamástslikt Cultural Institute on the Umatilla Reservation. Deana Dartt is Coastal Chumash and Mestiza--descending from the Indigenous peoples of California--and has worked as a curator at several museums. Emily Washines is an enrolled Yakama tribal member and board member of the Museum of Culture and the Environment.

In this episode we explore the concept of monuments with the help of three Indigenous women who live in the Pacific Northwest. Bobbie Conner is an enrolled member at the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and director of Tamástslikt Cultural Institute; Deanna Dartt is Coastal Chumash and Mestiza--descending from the Indigenous peoples of California--and has worked as a curator at several museums; and Emily Washines, is an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation and board member of the Museum of Culture and the Environment. This discussion starts here and continues in part 2 next week.

In this episode, speakers discuss a recent documentary on Native American food sovereignty called “Gather.” Our conversation includes two of the people featured in the film: Nephi Craig, a chef from the White Mountain Apache Nation in Arizona, who opened an Indigenous café as a nutritional recovery clinic and Samuel Gensaw, the co-founder of Ancestral Guard, a group of environmental activists from the Yurok Nation (Northern California), trying to save the Klamath River. Mary Lee Jones, a traditional gatherer, and member of the Yakama Nation, who has coordinated traditional food seminars throughout the Pacific Northwest, hosted the discussion.

As America re-examines its relationship with history, many of us are taking a new look at the people who have been held up as heroes of our past. Monuments are being replaced, including the statue of Marcus Whitman that is in the US Capitol, soon to be replaced by a statue of fishing rights activist Billy Frank Jr. Writer Sarah Vowell dives into this on the 2nd episode of Season 2 of Confluence Podcast,

America's relationship with history is changing and, with it, our views of public monuments. In this episode, writer Sarah Vowell talks about how we express our stories and values in public places, and how to find joy in the darkness. Vowell is the New York Times' bestselling author of seven nonfiction books on American history and culture in which she examines the connections between America's past and present. She was the guest speaker for a Confluence Conversation in May, 2021 in a partnership between Confluence and Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA. Sarah Vowell joined us by Zoom from her home in Bozeman, Montana.

The Redheart Memorial Oral History by Confluence

Listen for a short update on the podcast, including information about our upcoming special episode and where we're appearing next.

Two family members, Emily Washines (Yakama)and Josiah Pinkham (Nez Perce), discuss finding resilience, comfort, and strength in times of challenge.

In this episode, the speakers discuss being a voice for the orcas, salmon, and the waterways they live in. Listen to the episode to learn from Washington State Representative Debra Lekanoff (Tlingit), Klickitat Tribal Elder Wilbur Slockish, and James Holt, (Nez Perce) the Executive Director of the Buffalo Field Campaign on how to care for these important members of our ecosystem.

How are orcas connected to salmon? In this episode Washington State Representative Debra Lekanoff (Tlingit), Klickitat Tribal Elder Wilbur Slockish, and James Holt, (Nez Perce) the Executive Director of the Buffalo Field Campaign discuss the orcas, salmon, and waterways that bring and grace to our region and how they require committed caretakers – now more than ever.

Answering the question, “Who Gets to be an American?” Elizabeth Woody, Chuck Sams and Patricia Whitefoot talk about how to help people become more American, through an Indigenous lens.

Answering the question, “Who Gets to be an American?” Elizabeth Woody, Chuck Sams, and Patricia Whitefoot talk about the complex nature of US citizenship, the sovereignty of tribal nations, the responsibility to the land, the kinship network to the non-human elements of the land, and the relationship to the world.

How can we maintain cultural traditions throughout the pandemic and draw on them for strength? Join Emily Washines (Yakama) and Chuck Sams (CTUIR) to hear first-hand stories of the different ways Tribes have responded. This podcast episode will go beyond statistics and headlines to consider the daily lives of Native people as they confront what, for them, is the most recent pandemic.

Indigenous communities in our region have been hit disproportionately hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Join Emily Washines (Yakama) and Chuck Sams (CTUIR) to hear first-hand stories of the different ways Tribes have responded. This conversation will go beyond statistics and headlines to consider the daily lives of Native people as they confront what, for them, the most recent pandemic. Emily Washines is an enrolled Yakama Nation tribal member with Cree and Skokomish lineage. She speaks Ichiskiin (Yakama language) and other Native languages. A scholar, with a Master’s in Public Administration, her research and work in film, writing, speaking and exhibits focuses on the Yakama War, Native women, traditional knowledge, resource management, fishing rights, and food sovereignty. Yakima Herald-Republic lists her as Top 39 under 39. She is a board member of the Museum of Culture and Environment, Artist Trust, and Columbia Riverkeeper. Emily lives on the Yakama reservation with her husband and three children Chuck Sams is Cayuse, Walla Walla, Cocopah, and Yankton Sioux. He grew up on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. He is the Deputy Executive Director for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). Prior positions include Environmental Health and Safety Officer/Planner in the Tribal Planning Office for the CTUIR, Executive Director for the Umatilla Tribal Community Foundation, and National Director of the Tribal & Native Lands Program for the Trust for Public Land. He serves as Chairman to the Oregon Cultural Trust, Gray Family Foundation, and Columbia Land Trust. He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy where he served as an intelligence specialist.

In this episode of the Confluence Podcast, Robin Wall Kimmerer speaks to Confluence about unlearning the settler view of land and listening to the land.

In this episode of the Confluence Podcast, Robin Wall Kimmerer asks the audience to consider what the earth asks of us and how we can do right by the land. Robin Wall Kimmerer is a mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is the author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants, which has earned Kimmerer wide acclaim.

Parallel Lives - Part 2 by Confluence

Parallel Lives - Part 1 by Confluence

Indigenous Voices of the Columbia River: Vancouver Story Gathering part 2 by Confluence

Indigenous Voices of the Columbia River: Vancouver Story Gathering by Confluence

"I know I'm from this place. I know what other folks call wild, I call home. Because nothing in our homelands is wild to us, it's not unknown." Roberta Kirk, Chuck Sams, and Patricia Whitefoot discuss the importance of the river and interconnectedness.

Paul Lumley, the Executive Director of NAYA PDX, talks about how treaties are a source of power for tribes, the importance of tribes being in charge of their own science, and the resilence and passion tribes have to maintain their traditions.

“We’ve come back with strength and the power of deprivation and desperation and that’s what a non-treaty tribe encounters.” Tanna Engdahl, the spiritual leader of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, talks about Cowlitz federal recognition, the experience of non-treaty tribes, the impact of the disease on the Cowlitz and the spiritual power of sacred sites and ancestors.

In this episode, anthropologist and Grand Ronde historian David Lewis discusses the loss of land, tribe-settler interactions, the historical context of Grand Ronde’s treaty negotiation, and protecting rights that weren’t guaranteed in treaties.

Tule Films founder Woodrow Hunt talks about his work with Confluence, termination and resilience, and how his own family history relates to the work he does.

In this Confluence Podcast, Carol Craig, a Yakama educator and journalist, relates her experiences during the historic 1999 Makah whale hunt, of working with the Yakama Fish Commission, and the peoples’ grief over the loss of Celilo.

“Something stays pure and stays unchanged. So if you go through time, it will be heard and said the way it was hundreds of years ago.” In this episode, James Holt (Nez Perce) talks about lifeways, intergenerational trauma, and Nez Perce endurance.