RIVER STORIES

Woven Work by Kristie Strasen

“River Stories” is a series of handwoven tapestries depicting the Columbia River and selected tributaries that feed into it as it passes through the Columbia River Gorge. The tapestries create a visual narrative that touches on the geological, cultural, and political history of these rivers and their critical role in Native American sovereignty, fishing rights, land management, irrigation, and environmental balance.

Ten thousand years before Manifest Destiny, the land along the rivers of the Columbia was home to a thriving Indigenous population whose spiritual beliefs and cultural practices included respect for the land, the rivers, and the salmon who swam in them.

In fewer than two hundred years, Western Expansion has profoundly altered this landscape. The rivers and the fish in them have had to find new ways to survive, and the Native people who lived in these areas for thousands of years have had to find new ways to be.

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On June 18, 2024, the U. S. Department of Interior issued a “Tribal Circumstances Analysis” which documented, in detail, the historic, ongoing, and cumulative impact of Columbia River dams on Columbia River Basin Tribes. The report is a first step in acknowledging the damage done and exploring ways to mitigate the harm caused.