May 7, 2021 — The first time salmon were released above Chief Joseph and, later, Grand Coulee dams, Hemene James watched elders from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. Many weren’t even old enough to remember when salmon last swam in those waters.
In their faces he saw pure emotion, as salmon slipped into the waters where they hadn’t been since Grand Coulee Dam blocked their path in 1942.
Then, he looked at the children. Their excitement was infectious. They jumped and ran into the water, trying to catch the fish swimming upstream.
“It was a little, tiny glimpse of what our world used to be like in the days that the fish were here. So it was very moving and very encouraging,” James says. “This work gets monotonous at times and you feel like you’re spinning your wheels. But that was that glimmer of hope from the old ones that you guys are on the right path. Keep moving.”
Now a tribal council member, James remembers his grandfather telling stories of when they could still fish for salmon in the Upper Columbia.
At salmon camps, cousins and relatives would gather together, often only seeing each other at that time of year. Leaders from different bands would meet.