Ledger

Issue date: 5/8/08 Section: News

The current site of the Nisqually Indian Reservation.

"As long as the rivers run, as long as the tide flows, and as long as the sun shines, you will have land, fish and game for your frying pans, and timber for your lodges." Washington Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens, 1855.

Imagine a land of salmon-filled rivers and naturally growing vegetation stretching more than 6o miles. That land is your home, your family's home and the home of your ancestors. That is how many would have described Nisqually Valley until the Treaty of Medicine Creek of 1855.

The treaty was signed by 62 tribal leaders along with Governor Isaac Stevens, relinquishing the majority of their lands in exchange for cash payments, designated reservations and the (permanent) right to traditional hunting and fishing practices.
Local tribes had to spend the next century fighting for the ability to exercise their fishing rights.

"For 90 years we had to be treated like thieves," activist Ramona Bennett said.
That struggle was filmed by Carol Burns, a non-Native supporter. "As Long As The Rivers Run," originally filmed between 1968 and 1970, was screened by the Diversity Resources Center and the Native American Student Organization (NASO) on April 29 at the Longshoremen's Hall.

The film documents the battle of local natives as they fight for their right to fish. The U.S. Supreme Court recognized the treaty as valid, however declared that states had a right to enforce conservation policies.

The film is both inspiring and upsetting. The narrative focuses on the family of Bill Frank. Frank, the 91-year-old patriarch of the family, recalls his days as a child in the valley. In the summer, the family would work on neighboring fields and tree farms. When autumn came, the family relied on fishing in the Nisqually River.

That way of life was passed to his children and grandchildren who faced a very different obstacle. Scenes from the film show the family fishing in the river as the game warden looks on. One by one, family members are arrested for poaching, their nets are confiscated and their boats dismantled. Yet, the fight continued.

Members of neighboring tribes joined in the struggle. The film illustrates the joining of Native and non-Natives, rallying for Indian fishing rights on the steps of the state capitol in Olympia.

In 1970, several tribes had set up camp along the rivers in order to fish. One such camp was set up on the Puyallup River with 200 supporters. The camp was raided several times ensuing riots. One such fight ended with 60 arrests the camp was soon bulldozed.

Continued...

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