Kaitlyn Peer
Dr. Teresa Coronado
ENG 451
28 October 2015
Archive Assignment
The People of The Sea
Before the colonization of The United States of America,
there were many different and vast tribes throughout the country. One of these
tribes are the Lummi nation, who are primarily located out in Washington. The Lummi people are considered “The People of
the Sea”, due to the fact that the Lummi relied heavily on the water for
survival. In a transcript of a video, it talks about how the Lummi peoples
helped create and maintain the salmon fishing industry. This transcript is
important because it shows how the Lummi people are still relevant and helped
shape the American fishing industry and shows how despite intense changes, the
Lummi people manage to continue being “The People of the Sea.”
One of the key factors in the Lummi peoples identity as
being The People of the Sea is the salmon migrations. For years, the Lummi
people have lived off and fished for salmon, depending on the fish in order to
live. The Lummi are so connected to the sea and fishing industry that they
still rely on it today. According to Merle Jefferson, Director of Lummi Natural
Resources, “We live off the sea. We are a fishing tribe” (Jefferson 2). The
Lummi are so connected to the water that they could not become farmers but
remain fishermen. This transcript shows how even today that the Lummi are still
live on the water and still rely on it as well. The two are so connected that
the people of the Lummi tribe today are still keeping the traditions of the
Lummi people of yesterday. In his article, “To Fish in Common: The Ethnohistory
of Lummi Indian Salmon Fishing” author Michael Marker discusses the Lummi
people and how key fishing was to their survival and how the salmon industry is
important to them and they helped shaped. Marker says, “The consideration that
tribal peoples had for the fish was so vital to their existence and to their
identity that it was said, both a century ago and more recently, the disappearance
of the fish would mean the disappearance of the people” (Marker 80). The Lummi
people are so dependent on salmon that if the migrating fish was to go extinct,
the Lummi people would probably disappear along with it. The transcript shows
the Lummi people talking about what it was like for the ancestors and what it
is like for them today as well. Both the past and current Lummi tribe are
dependent on the salmon industry. The Lummi tribe fished for centuries and
relied on the earth and what it provided for them. The current peoples of the tribe, still
follow the tradition of fishing as well but also helped set up the salmon
industry that is alive in America today.
The salmon is a huge part of the Lummi culture. It is the
fish that they mostly rely on and the one they fish for the most. The salmon
are not just a source of food and life for the Lummi people though. According
to Felix Solomon, a Lummi artist and former commercial fisherman, “It’s a food
that satisfies your spirt inside. It’s our identity here in Lummi----we’re
salmon people” (Solomon 1). Salmon is not just a food source for the Lummi
people, it is also the main component of their life and culture. It is
considered food, but food that is important to the tribe and is considered to
be a part of the people. In fact, the salmon is so important to the Lummi
people that they were one of the first people to help bring up and settle the
salmon fishing industry when it started to become more commercialized. The Lummi would fish for the salmon and then
send some of what they gained to the factories for it to be canned and then
would continue to fish for themselves. Despite also farming while on their
reservation, the Lummi people still preferred fishing. In his article, “In and
Out of the Labor Force: The Lummi Indians and the Development of the Commercial
Salmon Fishery of North Puget Sound, 1880-1900” author Daniel L. Boxberger
discusses how the Lummi helped with the salmon industry and how they managed to
maintain their own salmon fishing for themselves. According to Boxberger,
“Subsistence agriculture on the reservation did not interfere greatly with
commercial fishing activities, although the Indian agent did anguish over the
fact that farming was neglected in favor of fishing” (Boxberger 171). The Lummi
commercially fished to help the salmon industry, but also fished for their own
gain. While they were farming, they also were fishing and actually preferred fishing
to farming. The Lummi people have been considered the people of the sea, and
were not going to give that up. They
were the ones who were mainly fishing for the commercial fishing industry, but
also still managed to keep their own identity.
Various people in the transcript of the video talk about how fishing and
being the people of the sea are important to being a part of the Lummi tribe.
However despite being a big part of the setting up of the salmon industry, by
being the commercial fishers, the Lummi still believed in fishing for fresh
salmon. When talking about the decline of the salmon and how it will affect the
Lummi, Willy Jones, a Lummi elder said, “This year I had to buy salmon to can
for the winter. I had to buy it! We never used to have to do that before”
(Jones 1). The Lummi still fished for their salmon and still used the waterways
that the salmon migrated down towards the ocean in. Jones is shocked that for
the first time, he had to buy his salmon from the store, instead of going out
to fish for it. Despite once being a huge part of the commercialized salmon
industry, the Lummi do not actively take part in buying from it. The Lummi
still strongly believe in fishing for their salmon.
There can be no salmon if there is no water. The Lummi
are located on the Puget Sound in Washington. The water runs between there and
Victoria, Canada. For hundreds of years this is where the Lummi have been
located and this is where they have done their fishing. Because they are the
people of the sea and because they rely on the salmon so much, this area is
vastly important to them. According to Jefferson, “We fished all through Puget
Sound, into Canada. So, we followed the fish” (Jefferson 3). The Lummi used
this area to follow the migrations of the salmon and to fish and keep their
livelihood. It is because of them being located at this place that they are
considered the people of the sea. Not enough is out there about the Lummi, or
how they helped the salmon industry and that is why this transcript is
important. It shows a few current Lummi talking about how and why they are the
people of the sea and the salmon are and were important to them. The Lummi did
not just limit themselves, they followed the fish into Canada and expanded
their horizons. Because the followed the fish, the Lummi went out into the sea
and that is how they became the people of the sea. The Lummi have not left this
area, in fact, this is where the government allowed them to settle when they
got their reservation lands. The Lummi continue to be the people of the sea and
fish for salmon. Despite certain salmon species diminishing, the Lummi still
hold the salmon at the center of their lives. According to the Narrator on the
transcript, “Many things have changed for the Lummi, but they have held on to
their language, their beliefs, and their ways of life” (Narrator 1). The Lummi
did not give up on their own way of life. They managed to maintain being the
people of the sea and continue their fishing of the salmon. This transcript of
the Lummi is important because it shows how they affected and were affected by
the water around them and how they are still being affected and living off the
water. The Lummi are still the people of the sea and still maintain salmon
fishing, despite the salmon diminishing. They are still deeply rooted in the
past and yet still expanding on their future. The Lummi are the people of the
sea and this transcript shows that they always have been, and still are.
Nothing, not even a diminishing fish can change that.
This transcript is important because it shows how the
Lummi are the people of the sea and how they impacted the fishing industry. The
nation is still strong within their fishing endeavors despite the continuation diminishing
of certain species of salmon. The Lummi helped create the salmon fishing
industry and even though they do not always support or by from it, were
instrumental in helping it get started, by being commercial fishers. The transcript
shows how the Lummi today are still involved with fishing and being connected
to the land and water. The transcript also shows how they are still connected
to the past and how that helps them stay connected to the land and water today.
Though there have been many changes, the Lummi still rely heavily on salmon as
a main source of food and life. They see themselves as the salmon people and
are connected to the fish as well. The Lummi
continue to thrive on the fish and land, and that is why the transcript is
important as well. The transcript shows that there are still people who need
and live off the water. Native American tribes do not just live off the water
and the things it offers them in history, but also today. The Lummi are still
the people of the sea and still rely heavily on the water ways surrounding Puget
Sound to live. The Lummi stay connected to their past in this way, but allow
themselves a future that they can be involved in. The transcript shows how
these people continue to thrive off the land and how they have been connected to
this land for years. It is important to notice this, because despite adapting
and being on a reservation, the Lummi still manage to continue to do something
that they have been doing for years. The Lummi and the salmon are connected,
when the salmon migrates, the Lummi used to follow them. The transcript is
important to maritime literature because it shows how a group of people are
still living off of and thriving within the reach of the water and how that
water is important to the people as well.
Works
Cited
Anonymous,
“Lummi Nation”. National Museum of the American Indian. 28 October 2015. Web.
Boxberger, Daniel L. “In and Out of
the Labor Force: The Lummi Indians And The Development of The Commercial Salmon
Fishery of North Puget Sound, 1880-1900.” Ethnohistory
35.2 (1988): 161. America History and
Life. Web. 28 October 2015.
Marker, Michael. “To Fish in Common:
The Ethnohistory of Lummi Indian Salmon Fishing.” BC Studies 129 (2001): 79-85. America
History and Life. Web. 28 October 2015.
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