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Adult sockeye salmon swim near the dam at sx̌ʷəx̌ʷnitkʷ (Okanagan Falls Provincial Park) on Aug. 29. Photo by Aaron Hemens
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“Prior to IndigiNews, I was ignorant of the history of colonialism on salmon,” he said. “I didn't know that the Okanagan people were salmon people. I didn't know about the history of dams and channelization, and how all that has
contributed to the depletion of salmon runs and even the extinction of different types of fish species.”
Aaron went on to tell me how inspired he was by salmon, and how reporting on salmon in syilx homelands has changed him. “You hear all these stories from the community about what salmon have to go through. They're so resilient. It's inspiring.”
Aaron is similarly inspired by the unwavering commitment by the ONA to bring the salmon back and restore the populations to their historical range.
“I want to document all the work that ONA is doing to restore the salmon. Someday future generations are going to look back and they'll see the stories that we did, and they'll see how hard the ONA has worked to bring the salmon home.”
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An adult Okanagan chinook salmon. Photo via Okanagan Nation Alliance on Facebook
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“I think it's just right to honour the work being done,” he added, “Not just for the current generations. They're always thinking about seven generations ahead.”
I've learned so much from reading Aaron’s work, and interviewing him for this newsletter brought more depth into my understanding of him, the syilx Okanagan people, and our kin, Salmon. Read Aaron’s stories here and here.
ᑭᓇᓈᐢᑯᒥᑎᓈᐚᐤ
kinanâskomitinâwâw
I am grateful for you all,
Aunty Eden
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