Columbia River is key to history and future of Native tribes

ALONG THE COLUMBIA RIVER (AP) - James Kiona stands on a rocky ledge overlooking Lyle Falls where the water froths and rushes through steep canyon walls just before merging with the Columbia River. His silvery ponytail flutters in the wind, and a string of eagle claws adorns his neck.

Kiona has fished for Chinook salmon for decades on his family's scaffold at the edge of the falls, using a dip net suspended from a 33-foot pole.

"Fishing is an art and a spiritual practice," says Kiona, a Yakama Nation elder. "You're fighting the fish. The fish is fighting you, tearing holes in the net, jerking y...

 

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