A few weeks back we were traveling through the Klamath Basin. We had previously spent a day at the local library researching certain environmental issues affecting the area, but I felt that we had barely scratched the surface or understood the depth and complexity of these issues until we met with representatives of the Klamath tribe a couple of days later. We were greeted by a woman who introduced herself as Thunderhorse, a member of the Klamath tribe, but let us know her Christian name was Taylor Tupper, and a scientist named Alex Gonyaw. To begin the day, Thunderhorse sang a protection song for us which demanded the attention of the group and set the tone for the day. Alex then began telling us about the history of the land and detailing some of the ecological issues the tribe faces in the upper Klamath Basin. Thunderhorse interjected often to provide additional context, speak on spirituality, and share her indigenous perspective. As the story unfolded, I was intrigued, paying close attention to every word.
In the 1820s European settlers passing through were attracted to the Klamath Basin primarily because of the large beaver population and by the 1840s gold was found in the areas and outsiders began to settle on farms and ranches. The land was not empty, however, this land was the home of the Klamath tribe as well as the Modoc and Yahooskin tribes. As European colonizers entered, the indigenous peoples were pushed out and their land was stolen.
Treaties between settlers and indigenous people have a complex and sinister history, and even when treaties were kept, they were written by colonizers meant to benefit colonizers and maximize the land they could obtain. “Whisky treaties” were common where white colonizers would get tribe members drunk before presenting a treaty, and as long as they got anyone to sign it was considered a valid treaty. Treaties were written in a language not native to the indigenous people, and overall, there was the overarching threat of violence if they did not concede. Sometimes a treaty would be signed where the tribe essentially knowingly exchanged large chunks of land for the promise to be left alone to hunt, fish, and live life traditionally on the land they had left, but this promise rarely if ever was kept and overall the process was manipulative and corrupt.
With this added context, we learned that in 1864 the Klamath tribe signed a treaty with the federal government. There is proof that the Klamath tribe has been in this area for at least 14,000 years and they have a right to this land, but none of this was considered in the creation of the treaty and sequential breaking of it. The treaty caused their previous 23 million acres to be reduced to a 1.5 million-acre reservation. White settlers created the boundaries for native reservations, and three entirely separate tribes ended up being forced together on one reservation. Although the treaty stated that tribes “reserved the right to hunt, gather, and fish in usual areas”, this was not the reality for multiple reasons. First, the tribe was targeted by the 1954 Termination Act. The tribe voted against termination, but the U.S. government fully broke the treaty and terminated the tribe, meaning their special status as Indians was revoked, and there was no more federal aid or supervision of land provided. In 1986 after much dedicated work from the tribe the government revoked this termination, but they were “restored” as a tribe without any of their land being returned. Today, the Klamath tribe reservation is a mere 300 acres. (klamathtribes.org) Additionally, the promise in the treaty became meaningless after animals and habitats were harmed and most “usual areas” for indigenous people to hunt or fish or even live in peace were destroyed by dams, pollution, and water scarcity caused by white settlers.
Between 1918 and 1965 there were five dams (chronologically Copco 1, Copco 2, JC Boyle, Iron Gate, and Keno) built along the Klamath River, and three additional dams built in the area that affected riparian plants and animals in the basin. In 1906 Lower Klamath Lake was drained and in 1920 Tule Lake followed; both were drained by settlers to transform the lake beds into farmland. Once the lakes were drained important tribal land was lost, as well as valuable habitat for waterfowl and other species, and unsurprisingly, the lake beds turned into huge dust bowls. It was then necessary to irrigate all this farmland with water from the Upper Klamath Lake, primarily to grow potatoes in the early 1900s. Upper Klamath Lake is suffering the consequences of this poor management, as the water levels are now incredibly low and the water has been polluted from farm runoff.
We also learned about AFA, (aphanizomenon flos-aquae) a super harmful algal bloom abundant in Upper Klamath Lake. This algae looks like grass clippings floating in the water and it consumes huge amounts of oxygen, which is incredibly harmful to the fish that live in this lake and need oxygen to survive. As resilient as they are, many (especially the young) still cannot survive this extreme toxicity in their environment. This algae is also a neurotoxin, and it's known to be so harmful that all the locals know they shouldn't swim in the lake or even let their dogs near it. Despite the obvious toxicity and the calls for change, this water is used regularly to irrigate crops, including potatoes grown in the area consistently used by Frito Lay, which exposes their customers to neurotoxins through their products.
Salmon, steelhead, lamprey, trout, suckers, and more used to flourish in this ecosystem and are now either at risk or are currently dying out. And it’s difficult to make the general public care about this crisis. People only seem to be concerned about charismatic megafauna- the bears and bald eagles and creatures that are visible and aesthetic. There is little public concern or knowledge surrounding the fish native to the Klamath Basin, and the tribe is actively working to change this and gain support or even acknowledgment from locals, lawmakers, and non-indigenous folk.
Two particular fish were highlighted over our time with Thunderhorse and Alex. Because they are incredibly endangered and because of their cultural and spiritual significance to the tribe, we focused on the C’waam (Lost River Sucker) and the Koptu (Shortnose Sucker). Thunderhorse shared the origin story of the C’waam and Koptu which was amazing to hear, especially in her immersive magical storytelling style. It is said that an evil dragon was sweeping through the valley killing the people until creator took him and chopped him up. Creator tossed his parts into the water and the pieces were turned into the C’waam and Koptu. As punishment for terrorizing the people, the dragon was cursed to feed the tribe forever in the form of these sacred fish. The tribe would have a ceremony welcoming the fish every season and giving thanks. The story says that in the past if the ceremony did not take place, the animals and people were all turned to stone as a punishment for their lack of gratitude. Thunderhorse told us you can see these people who have turned to stone in rock formations all throughout the Klamath Basin, each intertwined in the story.
Now, the Klamath tribe continues their traditional ceremony to celebrate the return of the fish for the season. They take two fish from the river, sacrifice the first and eat its meat, then return the bones and the other fish to the water at the end of the ceremony. These fish are now so endangered that the tribe is now restricted to catching only two fish a year for ceremonial purposes while in the past, they could catch thousands of suckers and eat them as a regular part of their diet without making a dent. They usually know when the fish will arrive because there is a blanket snow in March around the same time every year that signifies the perfect temperature for the suckers. Last year, due to global warming and the other abundant local ecological issues, neither the snow nor the fish arrived until May. Thunderhorse says it's incredibly scary to see this change after many years of consistency.
Many of the species being harmed including the C’waam and Koptu are endemic. This means that millions of years ago when the elevation of the area changed drastically, the plants and animals in this area became totally isolated and then evolved under these circumstances separate from all else. They now only exist naturally in this area and will no longer exist in the wild if they lose their place here. Endemic species are not known to do well with change such as dams, pollutants, low water, or toxic algae. Much of the older generation of fish has miraculously survived, but the young fish struggle in these harsh conditions and are dying at an alarming rate; the population is not regenerating. Thunderhorse told us “Once we lose this generation [of fish], we are done”. The Klamath Tribe’s website warns, “Our creation story tells us that if the C’waam go away, the people go away.”
Alex put the story into perspective as we ended the day. Essentially a trade was made: seven fish species are now locally extinct or facing extinction and there is a vast number of individual wildlife that’s been lost. Indigenous people are now experiencing health issues (diabetes, liver issues, and more) because they no longer have access to the diet they want and need to be healthy. The indigenous people are without their land, and the community is now impoverished and in conflict. Water is scarce and the environment is full of pollutants and abundant neurotoxins, and above all else, six indigenous tribes in the area have faced cultural genocide. We traded this for dams and farmland to grow animal feed and potato chips. Thunderhorse left us with a metaphor: biodiversity is like a tapestry- western settlers have been and still are pulling single threads out, leaving a ragged mess of knotted thread.
The story is tragic, but not hopeless. Members of the tribe like Thunderhorse and others concerned with restoration are working tirelessly to bring attention to this crisis and to persuade people in power to make the changes that need to be made. At the end of the day, Thunderhorse took us to a hill that overlooks the Upper Klamath Lake and gave us a song, saying we now have the song as our own. She told us she remains hopeful, but that we have the responsibility as the seventh generation to make the needed changes before it’s too late.
If you're interested in donating to restoration in the Klamath Basin you can contribute to the “Ambo Fund” on the Klamath Tribe’s website which “was established in response to the crisis for clean water in the Klamath Basin and to help save two critically endangered fish on the brink of extinction.” with this link: https://www.seedingjustice.org/the-ambo-fund-water-for-the-klamath/
Or get more information from the Klamath Tribe’s website: https://klamathtribes.org/