River Song

For generations into the twentieth century, Mary Jim, her family, and their ancestors lived a free and open life on the Columbia Plateau, traveling on horseback within a vast region--from the Snake River to Badger Mountain to Oregon's Blue Mountains. Denied a place on their ancestral lands, the original Snake River-Palouse people were forced to scatter. After most relocated to various Northwest reservations, maintaining their cultural identity became increasingly difficult. Still, elders continued to pass down oral histories. Rich in content, interpretation, and nuance, they insisted youngsters listen with rapt attention. Beginning in the 1970s and continuing over three decades, Naxiyamt'ama elders--in particular Mary Jim, Andrew George, Gordon Fisher, and Emily Peone--shared their stories with a research team, hoping to teach American Indian history in a traditional manner and refute incorrect versions. Multiple themes emerged--a pervasive spirituality tied to the Creator and environment; a covenant relationship and sacred trust to protect and preserve their traditional lands; storytelling as a revered art form that reveals life lessons, and finally, belief in cyclical time and blood memory. The featured elders had ties to the Plateau people's leadership families and had lived in the traditional way--gathering, hunting, and fishing. They participated in the ancient W'ashani religion and honored the Creator through First Food ceremonies. In their re-telling, the authors endeavor to capture those original voices and remain true to Snake River-Palouse oral traditions. Creation stories include "The Creatures of Cloudy Mountain," "Why Coyote Made the Palouse Hills," and "The Origin of Palouse Falls." Although Mary Jim's "How Coyote Learned to Fish," and Gordon Fisher's "How Beaver Brought Fire to the People," are similar to stories told by other groups, the versions in "River Song" offer a distinct Naxiyamt'ama perspective.