By Shaun Scott, Puyallup Tribal News
Tribal Members gathered at the Little Wild Wolves Youth Center Sept. 6 to share their memories and emotions of the Fishing Wars and its impact on their families and the Puyallup Tribe.
Heritage Division Manager Connie McCloud presented the opening remarks and Chairman Bill Sterud, Vice Chairwoman Sylvia Miller and Councilman James Rideout addressed the crowd in attendance. Former Chairwoman Ramona Bennett and other individuals took the opportunity to speak during the open mic portion, sharing their recollections of the Fishing Wars and what it meant to them.
The Fishing Wars took place throughout the 1960s and 1970s. During her speech, Bennett reflected on the past.
“The Fish Wars did not start here. The Fish Wars started wherever there was an Indian and there was a white person. The white people wanted whatever the Indian had,” Bennett said. “On every creek, stream, river, here in the northwest, beginning over 100 years ago, there was a fight. Wherever an Indian was harvesting you could be assured they were right there with clubs, with guns, with whatever they needed. They were there and they were on us. The Indians always fought back.”
Bennett said the Boldt Decision in 1974 resulted in Tribes getting the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.
“In one day, we went from being thieves in the eyes of the press and the courts to co-managers of the resource in one day. Can you imagine being treated like thieves for 100 years for harvesting salmon and then all of a sudden in a day, we’re co-managers?” she said. “It boggles your brain to think that such a miraculous thing could happen.”
Tribal Member Frank Earl Sr. said even with the Boldt Decision, if Tribal Members aren’t pushing for those rights, he believes the government will eventually take them away.
“If we are not out in the field picking those berries, if we are not in the mountains hunting those animals, if we are not on the river catching those fish, all it takes is one time, one season, for us not to show up and it will go away,” Earl Sr. said.
Here is an excerpt of what each Tribal Council Member in attendance said at the event.
Chairman Bill Sterud
“A lot has happened on our reservation. They basically put us in a corner and took our land, took our fish, took our elk, took our deer. … They took a lot from us, but our soul through the generations kept growing, growing and growing. The fish began, the wars began. I got to see some heroes, some great heroes. They went to war by going fishing. We weren’t allowed on the river. We weren’t allowed anywhere, but our souls and our hearts kept us going. To our leaders back then and I’m talking about Ramona Bennett, I’m talking about Bob Satiacum, I’m talking about Si Cross, I’m talking about our friends out at Frank’s Landing. They were all a part of this as we went to war. … We sit here in this beautiful building here. How did we get this building? What started it and the tipoff was the Indian Wars. It created this pride, it created this strength, it created this power. … What type of building do we have? You drove by and you saw the longhouse. You drove by and saw the warehouse. That’s all from people sitting here, your relatives and your ancestors. We wouldn’t have that without their power, their strength and what they did for us. Now we are here today to carry that on and that’s what we’re doing, we’re carrying it on.”
Vice Chairwoman Sylvia Miller
“Our people have always struggled. Nobody has ever given us anything and they never will. We are going to have to fight for everything. … All I can say about Native people, we are very patient. We are patient when waiting for those fish to return. I learned from my uncles on those rivers. … The lesson I learned on those rivers is respect. Respect that water and the water will protect you as well as you protect it. Every fish that was taken out of that water, I remember my uncle would say, ‘You got enough. We have enough. Let’s go.’ He would sit on that bank and watch me. … The things that you learn on that river that everybody sticks together, it is important. I have watched many people die on that river. Many people lost their lives, but I tell you what, that river fed many of our people and nobody was greedy at that time. … Everybody sure remembered to put back into those waters, as well. … I appreciate every single one of those individuals who aren’t here today, the ones that literally were there. … Every one of those individuals that made sacrifices, I appreciate them. I really do. … We were taught respect on that river and I will tell you what, there was a good lesson. It is a lesson in life. This is who we are. This is part of our life.”
Councilman James Rideout
“I always wondered why our parents would go fish at night. It scared me as a young child. ‘Are they going to come home?’ It wasn’t until I got a little bit older to understand that we didn’t have that right (to fish). … Around that time there was probably 300 people in our Tribe. I don’t say that in an offensive way, I say that because that is the way it was. At this time, I look back and I compare to where we were back then and to where we are today. It is really important that we carry these things on. … Our Tribe has grown. We have 6,500 people in the Tribe today. … We know every tributary, every river, every system, every set, every base set. We have all that knowledge. ‘What are we going to do with it?’ I want to give it back. … I have lived the best life living on that water and it wasn’t easy. You don’t have a 401K, you don’t have a retirement plan, you don’t have any of those things, but what we had was each other and your family. … I am grateful today to say we are still fighting at a level to where we can maintain our cultural way of life. … We are capable of doing so many things to assist every part of the Tribe and I’m grateful for that. … Every time I can say thank you to Ramona (Bennett), or I can say thank you to Connie (McCloud) or I can say thank you to the Elders who are present, thank you for the life you gave me.”
