Nixya'awi tour/ Traditional Dinner Day 6
Day~6 Friday July 14, 2017
Today we did a little touring of the reservation and the ceded lands. Our first stop was an overview of the Umatilla river. Winex was our guide she talked about habitat restoration on the river. She explained how they are working toward restoring the river to keep it cold and clean. River rocks are important in filtering the water. Riperian vegitation is important for bank stability and shading over the river. The meandering of the river slows the flow so water can charge the aquafir. They have also restored flood zones to also help recharge the aquafir. It made me feel good hearing about the efforts done here. Our second stop was at one of their fish hatchery facilities where we met with Micheal McCloud. He is a Fisheries Tech 2 and is very invested in his work. He said that he can't go any further in this field without his education. He encouraged us to get educated. He was a fisherman on the Columbia River who ran up to 30 nets. Now he has dedicated his life to helping our Salmon survive and making sure fishermen have fish to catch. I thought that was amazing that he gave up fishing for the rest of the fisherman. He later gave us a demonstration of how to cook fish on sticks. The best part of the fisheries site was their holding pond that was a part of the Umatilla river. Another interesting comment that he made was that the tribes are busy working and not knowing what eachother are doing. I think it would be imperative that the fisheries workers communicate and
exchange knowledge. Something to think about.
Next Winex took us to the Huckleberry fields where her people gather. The berry bushes were small and the berries were still green. It was a beautiful area and I noticed another species of Huckleberries there. We had discussions on invasive humans in our huckleberry fields, picking for commercial uses. We also discussed the importance of fire and how forest management was always done by the native people.
The Lake was the last stop. Mike and I went for a jog and went for a swim. Alexis wanted to race me again swimming. We raced and I beat her to the shore. We then went into Pendleton to meet with Acocsia for a yoga class. I really enjoyed the class. It was challenging and very stimulating. I was impressed with her class and the studio.
When we came back to the Red Elk's residence we all worked together and had a tradition dinner. Mike sang a song before the meal and we feasted. The food was very good. I wanted us to express ourselves during the dinner, but we ate and scattered. I was tired and went to bed early while there was a laser light show and music performed by Winex's brother. 
Today we did a little touring of the reservation and the ceded lands. Our first stop was an overview of the Umatilla river. Winex was our guide she talked about habitat restoration on the river. She explained how they are working toward restoring the river to keep it cold and clean. River rocks are important in filtering the water. Riperian vegitation is important for bank stability and shading over the river. The meandering of the river slows the flow so water can charge the aquafir. They have also restored flood zones to also help recharge the aquafir. It made me feel good hearing about the efforts done here. Our second stop was at one of their fish hatchery facilities where we met with Micheal McCloud. He is a Fisheries Tech 2 and is very invested in his work. He said that he can't go any further in this field without his education. He encouraged us to get educated. He was a fisherman on the Columbia River who ran up to 30 nets. Now he has dedicated his life to helping our Salmon survive and making sure fishermen have fish to catch. I thought that was amazing that he gave up fishing for the rest of the fisherman. He later gave us a demonstration of how to cook fish on sticks. The best part of the fisheries site was their holding pond that was a part of the Umatilla river. Another interesting comment that he made was that the tribes are busy working and not knowing what eachother are doing. I think it would be imperative that the fisheries workers communicate and
exchange knowledge. Something to think about.
Next Winex took us to the Huckleberry fields where her people gather. The berry bushes were small and the berries were still green. It was a beautiful area and I noticed another species of Huckleberries there. We had discussions on invasive humans in our huckleberry fields, picking for commercial uses. We also discussed the importance of fire and how forest management was always done by the native people.
The Lake was the last stop. Mike and I went for a jog and went for a swim. Alexis wanted to race me again swimming. We raced and I beat her to the shore. We then went into Pendleton to meet with Acocsia for a yoga class. I really enjoyed the class. It was challenging and very stimulating. I was impressed with her class and the studio.
When we came back to the Red Elk's residence we all worked together and had a tradition dinner. Mike sang a song before the meal and we feasted. The food was very good. I wanted us to express ourselves during the dinner, but we ate and scattered. I was tired and went to bed early while there was a laser light show and music performed by Winex's brother.
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