Columbia River

mg_2886We call upon the mountains,
the Cas­cades and Olympics,
the high green valleys
and mead­ows full of wildflowers,
the snow that nev­er melt,
the sum­mits of intense silence,
and we ask that they teach us,
and show us the way.

 

mg_2650We call upon the forests, the great trees
reach­ing strong­ly the sky,
with earth in theirs roots
and the heav­en in their branches,
the fir and the pine and the cedar
and we ask that they teach us,
and show us the way.

Chi­nook Invo­ca­tion. Quot­ed in Edward Gold­smith: The Way. 1992.

I went east from Port­land along the Colum­bia riv­er. I reached anoth­er coun­try of forests and vol­canos. The salmons are new friends.

mg_2885-1After the emi­grants con­quered the coun­try, they built dams. Many islands sunk which the indi­ans used as their grave­yard. Memaloose island is one of the last “islands of the death”. Most of the oth­ers are cov­ered by the back­wa­ter of the dams. This mon­u­ment was built in mem­o­ry Vic­tor Tre­vitt who was also a friend of the indians.

You find dams along the Colum­bia riv­er which makes it dif­fi­cult for the salmons to sur­vive. They were the base of indi­an life and gave them 40% of their food. The dams were built dur­ing the depres­sion and was thought of a good way to give peo­ple work. It was the believe that pow­er gives a bet­ter life for all. .. shad­ows of grey… It would be so much eas­i­er if world is black or white.

Final­ly a ten­der tiger lily which is orig­i­nal­ly from here and crossed my way. I did­n’t know that this is their home. For all who went before us.

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