CRITFC
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
On this date 102 years ago, Congress granted U.S. citizenship to all Native Americans born in the United States. Despite the fact that a Native idea and governance model was the inspiration behind the US Constitution, the actual Natives were denied citizenship to the country that Constitution created. Nez Perce leader Chief Joseph noted this […]
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THE DALLES, Ore.— A sea of red draped the walls and covered the dance floor during the fourth annual Columbia River Round Dance to Honor Missing and Murdered Indigenous People at Wahtonka Community School on May 1. During May, expect to see a lot of red. Though May 5 is designated nationally as the Day […]
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A Waashat service was held before the public commemoration in Richland, Wash., April 24, drawing tribal chairs, agency leaders, elected officials and Corps engineers to the site of an 85-year-old barrier that tribal experts have long warned was harming the river and salmon.
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Courtesy Yakama Nation With heavy hearts we share that our esteemed Elder, Davis Washines—known to many as Yellowash, passed away on Friday, May 1, 2026. A revered traditional and spiritual elder, an unwavering public servant, and a fierce advocate for the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, his departure leaves a monumental legacy […]
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PORTLAND, Ore. – The Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI) 2026 Winter Convention brought together tribal leaders, youth delegates, and policy advocates for three days of urgent discussions on protecting sacred First Foods, defending tribal sovereignty, and addressing technology’s impacts on Indigenous communities and the environment. ATNI’s membership of 57 Northwest tribal governments from Oregon, […]
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Dr. King believed that “everybody can be great because everybody can serve.” In these challenging times, serving our communities is both an act of resistance and an act of hope. As our nation faces rising threats to civil rights, increases in racist attacks, and the erosion of protections Dr. King fought so hard to secure, […]
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PORTLAND, Ore. — Tribal leaders, fisheries biologists, and conservation experts convened in Portland last week for the ninth annual Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative (PLCI) Information Exchange, bringing together decades of research and traditional ecological knowledge to address the future of the culturally significant and ancient fish. The three-day conference, held Dec. 9-11, featured presentations on […]
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guest column by Jonathan Smith, Warm Springs Tribal Council representative and CRITFC commissioner On the Columbia River, our ancestors taught us that the strength of the people is tied to the strength of the salmon. Today, that truth has not changed, but the challenges around us have grown more complex. Comprehensive fish management planning isn’t […]
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by Andrea Tulee and Jill-Marie Gavin TOPXATUXT (PROSSER, WASH.) On October 3, 2025, Yakama Nation Fisheries hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for a hatchery expansion next to the Yakima River at a site that has been used by tribal fishers since time immemorial. The expansion of the facility, near the town of Prosser, Washington, is a […]
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GOLDENDALE, WASH. — Leaders and representatives from the Six Sovereigns—Yakama Nation, Nez Perce Tribe, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and the states of Oregon and Washington gathered at the Rock Creek Longhouse on October 6. The Yakama Nation and Rock Creek Longhouse invited them, along with allies of […]
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